


Three Can Keep A Secret

by DoctorMegalomania



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21631069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorMegalomania/pseuds/DoctorMegalomania
Summary: For the Gundam Wing Mini-Bang 2019: Unorthodox Undercover WorkThe Gundam Pilots go undercover to rescue a journalist who has gotten in too deep...
Relationships: Chang Wufei/Original Female Character(s), Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy
Comments: 20
Kudos: 40
Collections: Unorthodox Undercover Work Mini Bang





	1. Notes and Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Art!

This is a place holder - Mint / Robotarmapts will be providing me with a link to their art

I'm terribly excited!


	2. Old friends

The bar was quiet, to be expected for a Wednesday night. She was spared a few glances for her long blonde hair in its intricate braids as she glided between patrons. Spotting her evening date, Dorothy slipped into the seat left for her at the bar. She barely glanced at the man she was here to meet before getting the attention of the bartender. "Hanky Panky, please." 

She glanced at her date. Grantson was a distinguished presence usually. Today, he was staring into his cocktail - a Sidecar, she guessed - like it held the secrets to the universe. The editor of Planetary was a striking figure, white hair against his black skin. He pursed his lips as he waited for her drink to be served. He gave his drink a swirl before finally nodding and looking at her. "Sorry to call you at such short notice." 

Dorothy smiled sharply. "You said it was important."

"I know about you and Relena."

Dorothy's only indication she'd heard was the minute pause before she sipped. She smiled as she placed the drink down. "We're not children, Grantson." She elegantly turned towards him, leaning on the bar so she could move closer to him. Her voice was low. "That will be old news in a month." She looked at him appraisingly, "What do you really want to talk to me about?"

Grantson sighed and surprised her by welling up. He swallowed hard. "I need your connections to the Preventers, but I need your special brand of subtle."

Dorothy smirked, "So, no gold plated lorries."

"Not this time." He shook his head, shoulders dropping. "I don't know what I'm going to do if you don't hear me out." 

"Did you honestly think you could blackmail me with Relena?" Dorothy snorted. "You only know because  _ I _ know it's going to be out soon." She waved a hand dismissively, "I've got it all planned out."

"Of course." Grantson shook his head. "I need your help."

"What's the problem?" Dorothy sipped her drink, "I promise to hear you out."

He sighed and then picked up his drink, "Let's go somewhere a little less public." 

They settled into a table in an alcove, and finally Grantson pulled out a phone. He tapped it and brought up a photo. It was a woman, Japanese, dark hair cut in a severe bob. It appeared to be a still from a video and the woman's eyes were wide, her expression a mix of fear and anger. Dorothy looked at the image for a moment before handing the phone back to Grantson. "I don't know her."

"She's one of our best investigative journalists. We keep her image in low visibility, because she does her best work infiltrating organisations and exposing them."

"I understand."

"She went into a Colonies Apart fundraiser, looking to bring back an understanding of why some Colonies were beginning to see a rise in people who want to leave the union." Grantson took the phone back, switching it off and sipping his drink. Dorothy was surprised to see his hand shake minutely. "She's gotten fairly deep in, and last week they allowed her to meet their backers. She's been invited to work behind the scenes." He shook his head, "Naturally, she accepted."

"Of course.” Dorothy held up an elegant hand, “How better to expose an organisation than know who financially backs it?" She sipped her drink before frowned slightly, "What did she find?"

Grantson closed his eyes as if praying for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he looked at her directly and mouthed the word. "Sanctuary."

Dorothy froze. 

A memory of White Fang came back to her and she understood Grantson's fear. Just because the Gundams were gone, just because the Barton Foundation had been exposed and dismantled, it did not mean there were not still more roots to grow back. Sanctuary was one of those groups - almost impossible to understand or gain entry to. Sanctuary was dangerous in that they worked quietly, their strikes precise and small. When one cell was caught, there was nothing that could be traced to another. 

Dorothy reached out and placed a hand on Grantson's hand. She stroked her thumb over his fingers for a moment. "I see."

"Last time I heard from her, she didn't think she could get out without blowing her cover." Grantson turned his hand and held on to hers. "I am begging, Dorothy. I'm begging. Kawaguchi doesn't deserve to die. She's ambitious, but this is too much for her."

"You want me to get the Preventers involved?" Dorothy looked around, thinking, "They're not exactly subtle."

"That's why I'm approaching you." He looked at her, desperation seeping into his voice. "You've got connections with the Preventers, sway with them. Perhaps they can go a different route? Maybe they can get her out without raising any concerns..."

Dorothy withdrew her hand and picked up her cocktail. "Maybe..." She swirled her drink for a moment, watching the golden liquid embrace the orange peel. "Maybe it's time I got some old friends involved." 

His look of relief was almost painful to see. 

Dorothy shook her head. "Don't think she's safe yet. My old friends don't really do subtle..." 

"What are you going to do?"

"Big problems need big guns and big guns usually mean..." Dorothy gave him a wolfish smile as she mouthed the word," _ Gundam _ ."


	3. A sharper knife

Noin stood, arms folded. She stared out of the windows - Une's office was located high in Preventers Central - at a fantastic view of the sprawling city... but the soldier in Noin winced at the openness of the office. A single airborne strike would take out this floor of glass and steel. The upper command rooms had been designed around light and openness. Transparency bred honesty. Noin pursed her lips and tried to let old thoughts and fears lie. 

Admittedly a little hard when she remembered why she'd left the Active Division to attend this meeting with Une. There was a light swoosh and Noin turned away from the city. Une's assistant, a nervy-looking man whose name always slipped Noin's mind, smiled at her gently and gestured her in. He checked his tablet and nodded, before opening the door and ushering her through. “You have about 20 minutes before her lunch appointment arrives.” Noin stepped into Une’s corner office. Half the room was nothing but ceiling to floor windows - Noin winced internally, trying to ignore the exposed feeling before focusing herself again. Une was at her desk, barely looking up from her computer as Noin moved towards her desk. "A moment, please Noin."

"Of course, ma'am." 

Une snorted and gestured the chairs by the window. "You don't need to be so formal."

"Old habits die hard." Noin smiled, "Thank you for finding me a little time."

"Hmm..." Une sounded distracted, and Noin walked away. This view from Une's office afforded her a beautiful angle of the vast park within the grounds of Preventers Central. The lake and its magnificent fountain were sparkling in the mid-morning light. Une gave a slight sigh which made Noin turn. 

Une glanced at her, shaking her head. "Being a parent is hard work." 

Noin smiled lightly. "How is Mariemaia?"

"Finding it difficult to accept that not everyone is going to bend to her will. Barton has a lot of answer for." Une walked over to the window and stared out, clearly taking solace in the sights. "How can I help you, Noin?"

"Dorothy contacted me last night." Noin stared out, glancing only at Une's reflection. "She's looking for help."

"And  _ presumably  _ the normal channels for the diplomatic corps aren’t a…  _ viable  _ option for her?" Une gestured the seats and gracefully poured a glass of water for them both as Noin took a seat. 

Noin only smiled and sipped the water she was given. 

"Honestly." Une rolled her eyes. "And I presume it's not a matter for the police either?"

Noin stared at the surface of the water in her glass for a long moment. "It's Sanctuary."

Even uttering the word felt like she'd shat in the room; Noin felt it make her mouth taste sour. 

Une looked away for a moment until she’d controlled the flash of fury on her face. "What does she want?"

Appreciating the candour, Noin nodded. "A little quiet help extracting an asset from a delicate situation." 

Une's frown deepened; she shook her head once, sharply. "Plain speaking."

"A friend of a friend has gotten in too deep, and now needs rescuing."

"What are we talking?"

"Undercover journalist."

"A civilian," Concern and disbelief flooded Une's voice, "In Sanctuary?"

"If it helps, they thought it was a basic protest movement - grassroots as it were." Noin sat back, "At last report, the journalist thought she was chasing a simple colony story of how these kind of far-right purists lead to Sanctuary. She didn't expect to be swept up into meeting their actual backers."

"So, she needs rescuing before Sanctuary realise she's not a earth-hating fanatic?" Une pursed her lips, thinking. She shook her head, "What's Dorothy's interest?"

Noin looked toward the door, she bit her lip and shook her head. "You know how we suspected something between them? It would seem that the newspaper in question have damaging evidence and are prepared to release it if Dorothy doesn't help."

Une closed her eyes at this point. "Oh for fuck's sake." She shook her head, "So we're going to be risking agent's lives because Relena Peacecraft wants to have her cake and eat it."

Noin shrugged, delicately not answering. 

Une waved it away dismissively, "I know, I know." She thought for a moment. "The Gundams can probably help. They can be trusted to be subtle."

"I'm sure Dorothy will be over the moon." 

Une rolled her eyes. "Perhaps Dorothy could be moved to pay for the expenses."

Noin laughed, "She said you might have that issue." Noin stood, "Since I have your agreement--

"Provisional agreement!"

"--provisional agreement, I'll contact Dorothy and let her know that we have something approaching a plan."

Une thought about that, “We’re going to need more help.”

“Yes.” Noin smiled knowingly, “She said she’d take care of that too.”

* * *

Pulling out of the car park, Quatre was just leaving work when Dorothy's call came through. He activated the hands free and stared ahead at the long line of cars queuing in the rain. L4 loved a decent rain shower, and in the dark it was almost poetic. "It's been a while, Catalonia."

Dorothy Catalonia's voice was as arrogant as he remembered. "Don't you love it when I call though?"

Despite the soothing rain, Quatre snorted and smoothly indicated to change lanes. "What do you want?"

"Money, power, a colony or two to rule." Dorothy sounded almost bored, "But I'll settle for your help."

"I'm honoured." Quatre shook his head. 

"As you should be." 

He rolled his eyes, flexing his fingers on his steering wheel. 

"Anyway," Dorothy continued shortly. "I have a situation which needs a gentle and subtle hand. I naturally thought of your tiny paws."

"Thank you..." Quatre frowned slightly, "I think."

"I have Une on board to lend me the others. I wondered if you could be persuaded to help me and get Mr Maxwell to join us for a little dance."

He paused for a moment, taking the pause in the traffic to think about what she'd said. He pursed his lips for a moment before asking, "What's the situation?"

"You can't just simply trust me?" 

Quatre's smile was wolfish even though she couldn't see him. "My darling, I'll start trusting you as soon as the scars disappear."

"You could just have them surgically removed." He could almost hear her inspecting her nails with a bored look. It made him smile to imagine her doing so. "People do that these days."

"And forget how well you sliced me? Never." Quatre glanced in the mirror again and changed lanes. "The situation?"

"A journalist has gotten in deep with Sanctuary, I need her extracted."

"Why?"

Dorothy spoke slowly as if it should have been obvious. "Otherwise she's going to die." 

"Hmm." He contemplated it for a moment, before shaking his head. That wasn't the whole story. "And simply trusting the Preventers to do the job is not enough?"

"Why stab with a dull knife when I could stab with a razor sharp one?"

Quatre drew a deep breath, refusing to rise to her bait. He thought about it for a moment. He could do it. He had organised a sabbatical; just waiting for the right time to take it. His boring job as high-flying businessman was not as rewarding as he'd hoped. Peace was nice, being insanely rich was fine, but nothing seemed to touch him any more. He was bored. Dorothy was offering him something he'd not done for a very long time. That helped to make up his mind and he nodded. "I'll want to be in on the planning levels."

"Wouldn't dream of giving the job to anyone else."

He narrowed his eyes, a determined look coming over his face. "One more thing."

"Am I going to regret getting my nails done?"

He chuckled. "I want to be made a Preventer for the job."

Dorothy was never normally at a loss for words so her pause was deafening. "... Why?"

Quatre stared out of his window, not really seeing the lines of red lights - the traffic ahead of him was slow moving, predictable, a terrible metaphor for his life right now. "I have my reasons."

"Winner." She was almost stern, an undercurrent of concern in her voice that was surprising to hear. "What's happening with your tremendously successful company that means you'd like to jack it in for a while?"

He thought about joking with her, but was surprised when he answered honestly. "Don't you ever miss it?"

"Never. Fighting for the fate of the world and trying to make sure it was worth it all? Never, my darling." He could tell Dorothy was lying. She laughed - relief perhaps - after a moment. "Une has been after you for years, you know? She'll cream herself trying to keep you." 

He snorted gently. "I'm only trying it on for size."

"And if she can get Maxwell in on the deal... why, I think the woman will explode!" Dorothy almost cackled. "She's always wanted the whole set."

"Is the journalist worth it?"

The quiet question took Dorothy off-guard. She sobered immediately. "Enough to an old friend who thought he could blackmail me with something that will come out anyway." Quatre could hear her smile, a true smile, "He didn't know I'd help him anyway." 

Satisfied, he nodded, "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Quatre dropped his keys on the side and shrugged out of his suit jacket as he entered his apartment. His home was at the top of a highrise block in the centre. From his home, he could see the sprawling colonyscape. It was beautiful but at the same time... 

He leaned against the window, arms folded. 

It was a lonely life. He'd made choices that meant the best for his company, but for him? It was a quiet, boring life of work, eat, sleep, repeat. He looked around his home, photo-perfect as his cleaner always left it. He didn't feel like he lived here, but honestly…

... when had he lived anywhere?

Dorothy's call had only served to remind him of what he missed. He pushed away from the window, and moved towards his home desk. He picked up a photo and stared at it. Five jubilant teenagers stared back at him, eyes bright and faces filled with hopes and expectations of their new futures. Nobody had ever really expected to live beyond the end of the war. He sighed and put the photo down. He wished he could go back in time and tell his younger self that the company could wait; that Trowa couldn't. That if he didn't make space in his life for the other pilot, eventually he'd drift away and become a stranger again. 

That hardened him, bringing a fresh, spiking anger that drove him to open his computer and start going through all the materials that Dorothy had sent him. He read it all and saw a plan - audacious and tricky - form in his mind's eye. He would definitely need the five boys from the photo for this. 

He tapped a command and waited patiently as the screen filled with a connecting call. 

It was only a couple of rings before Duo Maxwell - CEO of Second Chance Inc - answered. Duo smiled somewhat lopsidedly, "Been a while, bud." 

Quatre started hesitantly. “Uh. Yes. Sorry.”

Duo tilted his head, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Quatre dipped his head. "Is it too early for you?" 

Duo glanced away from the screen and then looked back, "Nah, I've got another 40 minutes before I need to leave." He smiled, holding up his tie. "You'll need to watch me get dressed though..." 

Quatre laughed, "Are you wearing that?"

Duo frowned and glanced at the tie, "What's wrong with the tie?"

"It's not black?"

Duo laughed uproariously, chucking the tie and beginning to unbutton the shirt. "Man, I need you to remind me of shit like that more often." Duo dipped out of sight for a moment and Quatre caught a brief glance of the sprawling shoulder tattoo Duo had when he came back in view. Duo shrugged on a black shirt and picked out a thin black tie. "So, I know you didn't call me to rescue me from making poor colour choices."

"Dorothy called me, she needs some help."

That seemed to get Duo's attention, "Oh?"

Quatre smiled. "The Preventers need a little off-the-books help and we're best equipped to… provide that service." He glanced down at his desk, tapping out a couple of quick commands. "I've sent you a sketch of my plan."

Duo glanced over the summary. "Ooooh." he cooed, "That is definitely going to need a fine touch." He glanced at Quatre, "Why not simply get the Preventers to run the whole op?" 

Quatre shrugged, "Dorothy needs it done subtly."

Duo snorted softly, shrugging on a suit jacket. "I suppose the odd numbers never were very subtle."

"Can I count you in?" 

"Oh, was there a question about that?" Duo looked mildly offended, "Of course you can. I'll make arrangements my end." He reached forward, clearly typing at his own computer. Quatre glanced at the secondary screen, now showing Duo’s alterations, and smiled at how easily he’d caught the intent of the plan. 

Duo glanced up thoughtfully, "I think Heero's already on L2 at the moment. If I remember correctly, he was here to train some staff at the local Preventers branch. I'll prod him."

"Thank you... I'll confirm with Dorothy we're in and will fly out as soon as I can."

"Want to stay with me?"

Quatre blinked, surprised, "I'd love to."

"It'll be just like the old times." Duo laughed gently, "Rescue the girl, stop the bad guys." He touched his cross that lay over his tie. "Pity we ain't got huge badass robots anymore." 

"Yeah," Quatre leaned forward, "I'd really love to catch up, Duo. It's been too long." 

"I know what you mean, dude." Duo checked the time, "Now I'm gonna head on out, and I’ll talk to Hills today. She's got some links we could probably use. Catch you later!"


	4. Born and bled

They did not need to wait as long as they'd been prepared to. 

Trowa idly flicked Wufei's elbow when he noticed they were being watched. A number of people had slowly filtered into the bar, one by one. Wufei didn't move, his belligerent expression only deepening as he leaned forward to demand another drink. Trowa finished his own in one gulp, before looking over his shoulder at the man approaching. The suit was immaculate, the smile shone bright... but didn't reach the man's clear grey eyes. They were dressed down, their clothes crumpled and in need of a wash. Trowa had sweat stains under his arms, while Wufei's tie had coffee spilt on it.Compared to them, the Suit looked out of place in the dive bar. 

The Suit looked at the bartender, "The next round is on me."

"We buy our own drinks." Trowa glared at the bartender and then at the Suit. "We aren't interested."

"Ah." The Suit's smile didn't even falter. "But you have friends here in the colonies who just want to express their gratitude."

Trowa didn't react, but in the bar mirror he saw Wufei toss the man a hungry sharp look before turning away. Wufei's loose hair did nothing to conceal the interest on his face. 

The Suit smiled wider, "Some of your friends know you've given a lot for the cause."

"Get to it or..." Trowa glanced at the Suit, eyes narrowed, "Get out." 

The Suit only smiled. 

Trowa shifted, picking up his new drink. "Think this is the first time we've been approached. We both joined Mariemaia." 

"And you've suffered for that choice." The Suit murmured sympathetically, before gesturing to the muted screen above the bar. Relena was greeting people, Heero standing silently by her side acting as both Preventer Bodyguard and her husband. 

Tucking a lock of hair behind his ear, Wufei made a disdainful noise. He leaned forward, "What do you want?"

Frowning slightly, Trowa shook his head at Wufei as if to discourage him. 

"What?" Wufei quietly snarled, "They booked us into a shitty hotel. They cancelled our leave. All for what?" He made a gesture, "Her highness would like to take a walk and talk down to some idiots in space..." He leaned closer to hiss angrily, his voice deliberately low, "... who buy her unionist bullshit." 

Trowa gave it a moment, making sure to sweep the bar, before meeting the Suit’s clear grey eyes. "Got somewhere more private we can maybe talk?"

"Of course." 

Wufei moved to slide out of his bar stool, but Trowa held up a hand. "Got a name?"

The Suit spread his hands magnanimously. "Please just call me Mr Gemini."

Wufei snorted indelicately and got settled back into his stool. Trowa shook his head, and picked up his drink. "Sure." 

"Is that a problem?"

"Do you even know who we are?" Wufei snorted as he picked up his own drink and sipped from it. "Come back when your organisation's voice breaks." 

That caused the Suit's smile to falter as a ripple of rage crossed his face. 

Trowa watched his expression keenly in the bar's mirror. It was time. 

Running a hand over his week-old stubble, Trowa leaned into Wufei. "Wait, wait. Hang on." He looked at the Suit. "Dinner. Hotel upgrade - no less than 4 stars. We go with you, we don't like what we hear, we walk away." He made a mockingly similar magnanimous gesture. "No harm, no foul." 

There was a cool calculation in the Suit's eyes before he nodded. "What should I call you?"

"Mr Bloom." Trowa replied instantly and leaned back in his seat to gesture Wufei. "Mr Root." 

Even with Wufei's mocking repressed laughter, the Suit - Mr Gemini - smiled tightly. "If you follow me, I have a car waiting." He gestured the back, and behind him a hard-looking woman and a lanky man got up and cleared a path for them. Trowa finished his drink with a flourish, while Wufei slide from his bar stool and wobbled. The woman stepped forward to steady him, and he pushed her away. "Don't touch me, woman." He snarled at her, righting his clothes and running his hands through his hair. He took a moment to tie it up. 

Trowa pulled on his coat and took the moment of distraction caused by Wufei to check his phone, keys and wallet. He opened his wallet to pull out his card, and waved the bartender over. Mr Gemini smiled widely, a shark's smile. "Don't worry about that, Mr Bloom."

Trowa glared coldly at him. "I said we buy our own drinks." He tapped his card against the machine and turned back to Mr Gemini. "You can buy me dinner." He walked away, following Wufei and didn't bother to check if Mr Gemini was following. 

In the alley, there was a sleek black limo waiting. 

* * *

"You'll take over from them here, and then make your way here." 

Mr Capricorn coughed as he leaned over the displayed map. The table was old tech, definitely older than the war. Wufei glanced over his shoulder. There were more people here than they'd anticipated and, while Mr Gemini had reassured them that everyone here were simply concerned friends, Mr Capricorn was less friendly. He had a hacking cough that spoke of lung damage from a mobile suit fire suppressant. 

Mr Gemini had disappeared after the mission briefing had started but Ms Virgo remained, weathered face pinched as she leaned back against the wall. Her eyes watched them sharply. Wufei took care to maintain the sway that suggested he was still drunk. It had only been a few hours since they’d left the bar. The organisation clearly keen to take advantage of the two men while they presented as drunk and easily influenced.

He was letting Trowa lead on the conversation, taking care to observe everything. Sanctuary were not stupid people;they were a cunning anti-unionist faction who were determined to succeed. 

Mr Capricorn's hand appeared in front of Wufei's face, snapping dirty fingers twice in his face. "Hey, wake up!"

Wufei turned to look at the man sullenly before snaking out a hand to grab the man's wrist and twist it in a smooth move designed to decapitate an enemy. Mr Capricorn let out a pleasing howl and sprawled over the table. Wufei ignored the sound of multiple guns being raised around him and took his time leaning over Mr Capricorn. "Do that again." He twisted the man's wrist a fraction. "I fucking dare you."

Ms Virgo snorted from the shadows. "Let him go." 

Wufei glared at her, but let Mr Capricorn go. Wufei walked around the display table, gesturing as he spoke. "You want us here, but you don't specify where the exit is." He paused to lean over the table. "I think your plan is shit." 

"You're here to help us with that." 

Wufei turned toward the smooth voice. Another suit, but there was a presence to this one. She had beautifully styled hair, but her eyes were cold. She took a step forward and two other women in suits - assistants, Wufei guessed - stepped in behind her. The woman spread her hands invitingly. "Mr Gemini neglected to inform me you were such honoured guests." She tipped her head gratefully. "Ms Taurus. A pleasure to meet you." 

Wufei said nothing, taking a moment to glance at Trowa. Trowa's eyes narrowed momentarily as he sized her up. "You're from L3."

"Born and bred." Ms Taurus smiled sharply, "You're familiar."

"Born and bled." Trowa replied, folding his arms. He tilted his head, "I've seen you before." 

"As I have seen you, Mr Bloom." Ms Taurus took a step forward. Her smile was fixed on her face, as perfect as her makeup. "You'll also remember how important the mission has always been to us." She glanced at Wufei. "You believed in us once, Mr Root." 

"And look where that got me." Wufei shook his head, he stepped away from this table. He moved to lean against the wall, affording him a better view of the exit and Ms Taurus' assistants. One of them met his disinterested look before flicking her eyes down demurely. He waited until she looked up again before nodding, "Mr Bloom, I can't be bothered with this." 

"I agree." Trowa nodded, he gestured the table. "What's the point of this mission? I don't see how it will advance your cause."

"They will have to take us--" Here, Mr Capricorn hacked a vicious cough, "-- seriously. That they can't ignore our cause!"

Trowa shook his head, "Like I care about causes." He looked at Ms Taurus, "I've never cared about causes."

"What will it take?" She asked plainly, glancing between them. 

Wufei snorted and took a step forward. "What do you have that we don't?"

"Is it a question of money?"

Wufei gave her a disdainful look before looking beyond her, focusing on the assistant who had caught his eye earlier. Ms Taurus glanced behind her and then back at Wufei, her look cold and calculating. Wufei pasted a smug smirk on his lips and walked past Ms Taurus to curl a finger under the assistant's chin, forcing her to look up. He smiled as he leaned in, keeping his voice loud enough to be heard by Ms Taurus. "Pretty."

The assistant's dark eyes widened. 

Behind him, Trowa gave a disgusted snort while Ms Virgo stirred, taking a step forward. "You can't be--" She cut herself off, and Wufei had the sense that Ms Taurus had held her hand up. The assistant glanced between him and Ms Taurus. 

"If that is what it will take." Ms Taurus said finally, her revulsion barely disguised. "We are all prepared to serve the cause." Wufei glanced over his shoulder, taking the moment to slip an arm around the assistant's waist and pull her rigid body closer. Ms Taurus flattened her lips before turning her pretty head towards Trowa, barely restraining herself from snarling. "And you?"

Trowa was leaning against the display table, his arms folded as he replied tonelessly. "It's always a question of how much are you prepared to serve the cause." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "How much is it worth?"

While Ms Taurus was distracted, Wufei turned his head fractionally to observe the woman in his arms. She was frozen, eyes wide with fear - and barely breathing. He squeezed her slightly, catching her attention. For a fraction of a moment, they shared a look. 

In front of them, Ms Taurus smirked - she clearly preferred a simple transaction - as she looked at Trowa. "How much do you want?"

* * *

Wufei kept an arm around the assistant all the way to his lodgings. Her resistance made his actions seem even more plausible, but he couldn't risk her panic getting out of hand. As Trowa was shown to his room, Wufei took a moment to thrust the woman against the wall. He pressed in close to her, using her hair to hide his mouth as he hissed into her ear. "Keep struggling, but calm down." He grabbed her by the wrists and held them up between them. "Grantson sent us."

That stilled something in the woman but he didn't release his grip on her wrists. The mounting panic in her eyes seemed to fade somewhat, replaced by a cool anger. He leered and forced a kiss on her neck.

"Mr Root?" Ms Taurus' voice held thinly veiled distaste. "Perhaps you could... wait until you're settled."

Wufei pulled away and was pleased when the woman in front of him twisted away. He held on to her wrist as Ms Taurus gestured down the hall where Trowa was leaning against the open door of his own room. Wufei pulled the woman behind him into his assigned room.

Finally, as the door closed, the woman became indignant and tried to pull away. "What is--"

Wufei slammed her against the closed door and pressed himself against her, slapping his hand over her mouth. Her muffled screams were perfect cover. Wufei looked down.

Under the door, a shadow moved away.

He moved her away from the wall, rough with her as she struggled against him. He finally manoeuvered her onto the bed and held her down. He kept his voice low, "Shhh, shh, shh." He reached up tentatively and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Hush now." He moved to sit on the bed with her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The woman began to still, her dark eyes wide. Her hands fell from his arms to lie by her side. Her nostrils flared as she dragged in a ragged breath. He loosened his grip on her enough to give her some space. She stared at him, before nodding. He smiled slightly. "I apologise for my behaviour. I’m here to get you out." 

There was a low knock on his door.

"Come." Wufei said shortly over his shoulder, knowing it was probably Trowa.

The door opened behind him, and closed shortly as Trowa entered. Wufei sat back and helped the woman to get up. Trowa leaned back against the closed door.

Wufei glanced at him and then turned his attention back to the woman. She shifted away from him, still a little afraid. Wufei held up his hands and stood fluidly. "I meant it. We're not here to hurt you. We're Preventers. I'm--"

"Chang Wufei." The woman cut in sharply, and jerked her chin towards Trowa. "Trowa Barton. Gundam pilots 3 and 5." She frowned, "If you think your charade about being down and out Preventers is going to work--"

"It's not supposed to." Trowa snorted darkly. "Frankly, I'm surprised we've gotten this far."

"You..." She looked down, thinking and then looked back at both of them, a wild urgency in her eyes. "Don't take the mission."

Wufei tilted his head, "Why?"

"It's a suicide mission, I heard Ms Taurus talking about it to Mr Gemini." The woman narrowed her eyes as they shared a knowing look. "You knew?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out from the plan they showed us." Wufei knelt down by the bed, bring himself below her level. Her shoulders seemed to loosen a little. "Doctored as it was to make it seem like we'd be coming back."

"So..." The woman shifted on the bed, moving to put her feet on the ground. "You're really here for me?"

Wufei was surprised to realise that she had lost one shoe, her toenails an electric blue under her sheer tights. He glanced around, spotting the missing item in the middle of the room. When he looked back, she had tucked her bare foot behind her other leg as if she was embarrassed he'd noticed. He stood and picked up her shoe, handing it to her wordlessly.

"We're only here to extract you." Trowa replied, his voice low. "Your editor was concerned."

She tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear, "I’m not surprised… I've not been able to make my check-ins." She pursed her lips, "They're getting more nervous the closer we get to launch day."

"Understandable." Wufei nodded, sinking gracefully to sit on the floor beside the bed. "I'm a little surprised they let us in."

"Who can resist a Gundam Pilot?" The woman smiled crookedly. "Riko Kawaguchi, Planetary Magazine." She made a face as she looked down at Wufei. "I normally prefer dinner first."

Wufei shrugged. "Best way to ensure I have access to you." He nodded, his expression sympathetic. "Though I apologize for making you uncomfortable."

"Maybe you can buy me dinner afterward?"

Trowa laughed softly at Wufei's double take.


	5. A dead man has nowhere to be urgently

Wufei rolled his neck, trying to work out the crick. His night on the floor had been uncomfortable, but worth it for the sleep-deprived look it gave him in the morning. Riko stood behind Ms Taurus, a pinched look on her face and a black eye blooming handsomely. Wufei didn't enjoy inflicting it on her, but Riko had insisted it would help her to sell the concept he'd assaulted her. "No acting needed," She'd said. "The whole story is on my face." 

He had appreciated the stoic manner in which she took his punches. He slid his eyes off her to Ms Taurus. The older woman was far better than the others at hiding the contempt his perceived actions were stirring. Wufei gave her a tight smile before lazily turning his attention back to Mr Capricorn. Trowa was listening, head tilted, an expression like someone had farted. He rolled his dark green eyes contemptuously. 

"Your plan will end with us dead." Trowa cut into Capricorn's little speech as the man lent over the table to gesture a strategic point. Trowa turned his attention to Mr Gemini. "Did you mean to waste our time?" 

Wufei moved as if he was getting up. "I've heard enough." 

"You've agreed--"

"You can't pay me if I'm dead." Trowa snorted and gestured the map in front of them. "This is a suicide mission." 

Mr Gemini wasn't fast enough to mask his disappointment, but Mr Capricorn surprised Wufei by laughing suddenly. The older man clapped slowly as his rasping laugh mixed with the hacking cough from his damaged lungs. He sobered after a while, turning his attention to Mr Gemini and Ms Taurus. "I told you, Gundam pilots ain't stupid." He jerked a thumb towards them. "We didn't lose base after base to a bunch of kids because we were sloppy." 

Ms Taurus nodded slowly. "All right." She looked at them more closely. "What would you do differently to this?" 

"This?" Trowa gestured the map dismissively. "This will get you something, maybe a flash in the pan attention for a while. They'll wring their hands, they'll weep, but this... this will fade away the next time Peacecraft flutters her eyelashes." He stood and leaned over the map, intently. "You want really attention? You want to show them you're serious about getting freedom for the colonies? About getting rid of the United Sphere alliance?" He gave Wufei a knowing look, a smirk on his face. 

Wufei caught it and let himself smile slowly. "No..."

"Why not?"

Wufei sat back, spreading his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Why not, indeed?" He looked around the room slowly. "Which one?" 

Trowa seemed to give it some thought before nodding tightly. "Zero Four." 

Wufei looked at him, as if aghast. "Zero Four?"

"I've never forgiven the tubby little bastard." 

Wufei snorted disdainfully, flicking a deliberately salacious look at Riko. He spat. "Should have controlled the little bitch." 

That shook Ms Taurus; she moved fractionally in her seat as if to shield Riko from his view. Then she drew herself up. "What are you suggesting?"

Her question drew a laugh from Trowa; he folded his arms as he leaned back in his seat. "Why, Ms Taurus, I'm suggesting you let us kill one of the other pilots. Specifically, I'm telling you, I will get nice and close to Quatre Rabarba Winner and I will personally slide my knife between his ribs." 

That made the smile drop off Mr Capricorn's face. "You'd kill another pilot?"

The smile on Trowa's face was subtle and unpleasant. "That fucker left me for a company. You think he does anything out of love for the colonies? Money is what moves that bastard's heart." 

"Like money moves yours?" Ms Virgo bit out, a snarl on her face. 

Trowa cast her a look for a moment before snorting softly. "If I learnt anything in my life, it's nothing is free, everyone pays eventually." He glanced down momentarily before looking at Ms Taurus. "He meant something once. I want to see his face, want him to know it's me shanking him." He tilted his head, "I'll take a 20% cut in my rate." 

Ms Taurus considered it, her eyes sliding to Wufei speculatively. 

"I've got no issue with it." Wufei replied, before narrowing his eyes. "I still fuck the girl though. I like her." He leered at her mockingly. "She's a fighter." 

"Have you no honour?" Mr Capricorn finally blurted, standing. "She's just a--"

"What? A child? I was 14 when OZ attacked my home and killed my wife." Wufei shot back, snarling. "And honour? What's honour got to do with anything?" He stood, pure rage in his stance. "Honour didn't save my wife. It didn't save my colony!" He slapped the table before gesturing Riko wildly, "Why the fuck will it save her?" He glared at Ms Taurus, pointing a finger. "You want your grand gesture? You want two Gundam pilots on your side? I will kill all the other fuckers. I'll slaughter them! But I will have that girl." He pointed at Riko. "And when she's done, you will get me another!" 

"Wufei," Trowa said quietly, warningly. “That's enough." 

Running a hand over his mouth as if it were too dry, Wufei sank down. "I don't need their fucking money," he muttered. He glared at Ms Taurus, "I just need to forget." He fixed his stare on Riko, hungrily. "I want the girl."

"The girl. The money, less 20% if I get to kill Winner." Trowa held up his hands. "Or we walk now." 

"Agreed." Ms Taurus replied quickly. She held up a hand when Ms Virgo and Mr Capricorn jerked as if they were going to object. "There is no price on freedom for the Sanctuaries. Our colonies..." she spat the word as if it tasted foul, "have suffered enough under earth rule." She stood and pulled out a gun. Cocking it, she pointed it at Riko's head. "You will do it, or you can die now. What's your choice?"

Riko's dark eyes were wide and she stepped back for a moment before scrabbling forward to lower herself into Wufei's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face. Wufei leaned back, wrapping an arm around her. He raised a hand to pet her head. "I knew you were clever."

Ms Taurus put her gun away, shaking her head. "I would have chosen death, my dear." She looked at the others around the room, "Let's get started on this operation."

Trowa frowned, "You're still going ahead with this idiotic suicide mission?"

"Of course." Ms Taurus gestured the table broadly. "This might not be a memorable event... but it will start the conversation."

Trowa snorted dismissively and leaned forward. He jabbed the table, bringing up their plan. “Then it needs some… tweaks. You want an ice-breaker?” He started typing, “Then let’s get the conversation going our way.”

***

"You sure about this?"

Standing just behind the curtains, Quatre blinked, barely turning his head. "You don't usually second guess things." 

Duo stood a little behind him, looking sharp in his suit and tie. He gestured to the cameras - just about visible from their vantage point - gathered near the front of the stage before leaning in. "We're not as young as we used to be." 

"True." Quatre chuckled lightly, before pulling his speaking notes out of his breast pocket. He spotted Heero waiting in the wings behind them, dark Preventers' uniform helping him to blend into the shadows. The man raised a hand to listen to his ear piece, his expression inscrutable. A few moments later, Trowa walked into view, standing next to Heero in tactical gear. It was heavier armour than would normally be seen at such an event. Heero seemed to look him over once, a brief furrow in his brow. Trowa gestured them. Quatre stared at Trowa and Heero for a moment, before looking down at his notes one more time. 

"Bit heavy." Duo muttered, which made Quatre look up. Across the stage, hidden from the audience by the curtains, more tactical Preventers had appeared. Quatre frowned slightly and looked over his shoulder at Heero and Trowa.

Hilde frowned as she approached them both. Clipboard in hand, she had an earpiece in as well - but hers allowed her to speak to the presentation team. “What’s going on? My team tell me that a tactical Preventer just came into the visuals room,” She gestured Heero. “And I didn’t know Trowa was going to be here too.”

“Given what happened outside Relena’s memorial event three days ago, I suppose Une decided to beef up security.” Duo slipped his hands into his pockets, shrugging. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, Hills.” He tossed her a bright grin, “How d’I look?”

“Like you’re up to no good.” Hilde frowned and looked down at her clipboard, its smooth screen scrolling constantly with information. She tapped at it and then shook her head. “Alright, we’re ready.” She looked over at Heero. “I’ll check in with Heero about the extra Preventers.” 

Duo and Quatre shared a look as she walked away from them. “She’s going to be pissed,” Duo muttered. “She hates surprises.”

“She’ll be okay.” Quatre muttered. “Are we sure about Phoenix? It’s a bit extreme.”

Duo gave him a flat look. “Really? Now?” He shook his head and looked over to where Hilde, Heero and Trowa stood. 

Hilde was frowning, stabbing at her clipboard. Heero glanced over at where Quatre and Duo stood when Trowa pointed at them again, before seeming to sigh and nodding. Hilde smiled and held her hand to her ear as she walked away talking. 

At Heero's nod, Duo muttered. "Showtime." 

Putting his speaker notes into a pocket again, Quatre took a step forward into rapturous applause and approached the podium. "Thank you all for joining us here." He indicated where Duo stood next to him at his own podium, "Mr Maxwell and I are pleased to announce the spectacular new joint venture of Winner Enterprises and Second Chance Incorporated." He allowed the screen behind him time to change, transitioning from the initial blueprints to a wire-frame model to a fully rendered, three dimensional model. "A new ambitious colony to act as a way-station en route to Mars." He smiled brightly. "Project Phoenix." 

There was a murmur from the crowd, at first of excitement and then confusion as the screen behind Quatre flickered unexpectedly. Quatre turned, staring up at the display... his mouth fell open as the planned presentation cut out entirely and was replaced by a shadowy face. 

"No peace in space until the colonies are free of earth." The figure leaned forward into the light, the lower half of their face hidden by a bandanna bearing a familiar logo. "Sanctuary. Free from Earth rule. Sanctuary for all space-born." 

Duo turned to Quatre, leaning forward. "Isn't that Wufei?" 

Alarmed, Quatre turned to clap a hand over the microphone, but it was too late; Duo's voice carried around the presentation hall. 

On the screen behind them, Wufei continued, his dark eyes angry. "Now you want to extend Earth's rule." He brought his face closer to the camera. "Extend it when the colonies continue to suffer unheeded, and still the L5 colony is forgotten. No more." 

Quatre looked around at the gathered crowds. "Please. Remain calm. We're under no threat--"

"No more." Wufei uttered one more time before leaning back. "Those who support Earth rule, your days are numbered. Sanctuary!"

The screen cut out, and Quatre had enough time to turn to the crowd, a reassuring smile on his face before pain blossomed in his back. Beside him Duo called out, hand outstretched before he was jabbed hard in the face with the butt of Trowa’s assault rifle. The hit sent Duo tumbling off the stage. Quatre felt his legs go and sank down until a hard hand grab him by the collar and yanked him towards the podium. Blearily, he tipped his head up, to see Trowa angrily shout into the microphone. "FREEDOM FOR THE COLONIES!" 

"Trowa...?" Quatre whispered, his strength leaving him. He feebly raised a hand to protect himself as Trowa knelt down. Exposed between the two podiums, the world watching, Trowa delivered two precise strikes with a knife. Quatre felt the agony of flesh ripping; it was awful. His world dimmed. Trowa looked over his shoulder as Heero ran out onto the stage. Trowa cursed, letting go of his collar to run from Heero and leaving Quatre to fall to the ground. Heero ducked behind a podium, vainly attempting to return fire as the heavily armed Preventers on the other side started shooting. Screams and gunshots were all Quatre could hear as he weakly turned his head. Trowa escaped, sloppily covered by the troops Quatre had taken for Preventers. Now he could see that some of them were wearing the tactical gear incorrectly. The stage darkened and Quatre could feel the warm blood pooling under his cold body. 

The last thing he saw was a frantic Heero scrabbling over him, camera flashes making his bright blue eyes incandescent. He couldn't hear what Heero was shouting, and was relieved when the darkness finally took him.

***

Duo had been dozing slightly when the text message came through. Dorothy had promised him she'd let him know when Relena and Heero were stepping out. He shook himself for a moment before reaching to pick up the remote for the TV screen. The news channel had been preset and Duo turned the volume up. A gaggle of reporters and camera crew were huddled outside the L2 Preventers headquarters. Appropriately it was raining, making the concrete look black. The dark glass of the Preventers building was impenetrable by the cameras. 

The doors flew open and Dorothy stepped out first, hair immaculately styled, red lips pursed. Behind her, Relena's security entourage escorted her and her husband out. Dorothy approached the media scrum, holding a tablet close to her chest to protect it from the downpour. She smiled grimly. "Ms Peacecraft and Mr Yuy respectfully ask that the media abide by their wishes at this difficult time. The devastating loss of our dear friend..." Dorothy trailed off for a moment, perfect lips quivering. A single tear artfully made its way down her cheek with just a smudge of mascara to emphasise it. She shook her head. "Mr Winner was a beloved acquaintance of mine; his patience and his wisdom will be missed." 

Behind her, Relena walked out, one arm linked with Heero's. Heero looked shaken, pale and wide-eyed. Relena wore a beautiful dark suit, a black half-veil over her face; Heero was in the same dark Preventer uniform he had been in twenty-four hours before. There was still blood visible on his collar. His bright blue eyes scanned the area and locked onto the back of Dorothy. He pulled himself angrily away from Relena. 

Dorothy continued, unaware of the furious former Gundam Pilot approaching from behind. "Mr Maxwell is recovering in hospital, but there is no current news on his con... condition." She stumbled on the word, another tear trailing down her cheek. "Please, I... I can't give you any more information."

"I can!" Heero shouted behind her, pushing through the gathered press and security to join her. He grabbed her microphone and focused on the camera she'd been speaking into. "Three! Five! Don't think you'll get away with this!" Heero's usually focused eyes were bloodshot, and there was something wild about him. "I'm going to hunt you to the ends of the world! You bastards! You were our brothers! You bastards! I'll kill you!" Behind him, Relena directed her security to pull him away. Dorothy struggled with Heero for control of the microphone. 

Heero thrashed like a rabid dog, spittle flying from his lips. "I WILL KILL YOU! THERE'S NO PLACE-- GET OFF ME-- NOWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE - LET GO OF ME! - NOTHING TO CALL HOME! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Finally, enough of the guard piled on Heero and pulled him towards Relena. She opened her arms and in them, he calmed almost instantly. He shuddered as if sobbing and allowed her to walk him away, back into the Preventers' building. Dorothy swiftly stepped in front of the cameras, blocking them from following. "Please, this is a trying time for all of them. Please, no more questions! No more!"

Duo tilted his head, raising the remote to mute the screen.

"I never thought Heero could get so worked up." Quatre's voice was low and pained. "I've never seen look him so angry."

Duo smiled and picked up Quatre's drink, cupping one hand behind Quatre's head to support him as he sipped. "You've clearly never had to deal with him when he's failed a mission." Duo put the drink down and sat back. His own injuries were minor. He'd landed squarely on a set of cardboard boxes. Quatre had taken the planned gunshots and stab wounds. 

As ever, Trowa had been meticulously precise despite the thousands of people watching. 

Quatre smiled wanly and that made Duo frown, concern appearing briefly. "Do you need me to call someone?"

Shaking his head ever so slightly, Quatre raised a hand. "I'm fine, excessively glad that Trowa is as good as he is. Must remember to tell Dorothy I'm worth more than one tear!"

"I think she cried two whole tears."

"Do you think they'll buy it?" Quatre asked quietly. 

"Really? Now?" Duo smiled at Quatre as he moved to lean against the chair. While minor, his injuries still gave him some pain. He rolled his shoulders and raised a hand to gently probe his jaw again. Trowa had knocked him flying and the bruise from the rifle butt was blossoming. 

"I'll admit this is not the kind of Preventer work I had in mind..." Quatre chuckled lightly and then groaned as he shifted. He pressed a hand to his stomach. 

Duo went to say something but the door opened. Doctor Sally Po and Doctor Iria Winner walked into the room, consulting their tablets. Quatre was hidden in a secret facility, allowing only these two and his specially retained medical team to take care of him - a condition on which Iria had insisted when Quatre had floated the outline of his plan to her. His family were going to have to keep the company afloat without him for a while. Sally had been the one to pronounce him dead in front of thousands of people who'd watched him stabbed. She now sat on the bedside, her expression grim. "You look like you'll be up and about within a couple of days."

Quatre glanced at Duo, concern in his eyes. He looked back at Sally. "I was told twenty four hours minimum." 

"You need bed rest and you need to give yourself time to heal." Iria frowned. "Ilana and Irina are both very capable, they'll keep the company goin--"

"It's not the company I need to get out of bed for." Quatre cut in, "I need to get up."

"You can." Sally raised a hand to forestall Iria. "We simply don't recommend it." She tilted her head, "You're a dead man, Quatre. A dead man has nowhere to be urgently."

Quatre seemed to take a moment to think about this before turning to Duo. "Can you manage Contingency B?"

"Of course." Duo replied shortly, he shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured this might be the case... I would have thought you'd planned it this way anyway since you've been stabbed before." Duo grinned, “Idiot.”


	6. Contingency

On the screen, the former Gundam Wing pilot struggled like a rabid dog, spittle flying from his lips. "I WILL KILL YOU! THERE'S NO PLACE-- GET OFF ME-- NOWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE - LET GO OF ME! - NOTHING TO CA---"

Wufei leaned over the table to press a button and the screen switched off. "I presume you've got the picture."

Ms Virgo and Mr Capricorn looked appalled. Mr Gemini looked smug. Ms Taurus was impassive for a long moment, before she sat forward. "You've killed Quatre Winner, CEO of Winner Enterprises, right in the middle of his speech about how he's creating a new colony."

"A new slaver's bay for Earth." Trowa snorted as he pushed forward his phone. "You've gotten Sanctuary on every news station. Delivery as promised. Payment now."

Ms Taurus made a motion at Mr Gemini who leant forward to tap his phone against Trowa's, and pressed a few buttons. Trowa picked up his phone and checked his account. It was healthily accredited with the amount he'd asked for. He nodded to Wufei before turning his attention back to Ms Taurus. "A pleasure doing business with you."

"Not so quickly." Wufei held up a hand. "What else do you need?"

Mr Capricorn scoffed. "What do you mean?"

Wufei narrowed his eyes, "Just getting your names out there isn't enough." He looked around the room, focusing on Ms Taurus. "What can we help you with?"

"You want to help?" Mr Gemini asked. 

Wufei cast a sharp look at the assistant standing by the door, "I'm not quite finished."

Trowa tapped his shoulder. "What else could there be?"

"Zero Two." Wufei smirked, his voice not so low. "With Zero One frothing, Zero Four dead..." 

"Mr Maxwell, you mean? Of Second Chance Inc?" This seemed to catch the attention of Ms Virgo, who stepped forward. "He's always rebuffed attempts to..."

"Rebuffed but never reported." Mr Gemini clarified, a look of greed appearing in his eye. "He's a space-born, he's always made clear he has strong feelings about restoring the colonies."

Wufei's smile was mocking. "He could be useful to your cause." He tapped the table twice, "The Barton Foundation needs new blood..." He shrugged dismissively, "... fresh money?"

"The Barton Foundation is fine." Ms Taurus replied curtly. She narrowed her eyes at him. "We don't need--"

"How about we convince him to join us?" Trowa cut in smoothly. "He joins us, and then he gets Zero One to calm down." Trowa shrugged, "God knows how, but Zero Two could always talk Zero One down from an edge." He shrugged, "Maybe Zero One comes around to the idea and... well," He chuckled softly, "Zero One is fucking the darling foreign minister, Relena Peacecraft."

That caught Ms Taurus' attention. 

She glanced around the room, and the others nodded finally. She looked back at the two former gundam pilots. "Time to meet the others." 

***

The scrum of reporters were so close behind him, he could hear the real anger in Hilde's voice as she ordered their security to make them back off. Duo didn't turn around. He'd made his announcement - a hostile takeover of Winner Enterprises by Second Chance Inc. - and was making his retreat back into his offices. Hilde almost levitated with rage in the elevator; she couldn't even look at him. She’d been caught off guard by his snap decision, and he knew that later she'd understand why he was doing what he was doing. Right now, however, her fury would not change his mind. 

Sanctuary had made their move, taking responsibility for both the pathetic bombing the week before and the murder of Quatre Winner. New faces had appeared in the shadowy videos delivered to the media outlets, but Wufei and Trowa were both placed either side of the leaders of Sanctuary. 

The elevator dinged, announcing their arrival at the top floor. Duo stepped off the lift and walked steadily towards his office. His staff all stopped and paused, uncertainty in their eyes. One manager nodded subtly as Duo met his eye, of whom Duo mentally took note. The man had clearly picked up on the inference behind Duo's main message. Beside him, Hilde spat, "Get back to work!" She pointed at Duo's PA, a nervous looking man, "Coffee, lunch, cancel all appointments for the rest of today."

"Hilde." Duo touched her shoulder. "It's not Lenzt's decision, calm down."

She looked like she might slap him, but then nodded tightly. "Lenzt, please cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the day." She took a breath, "And contact the board. We will hold a meeting about it later tonight."

"Tomorrow morning." Duo clarified. "Postpone my appointments for a few days, in fact. Chicken for me please, Lenzt."

The poor man nodded and picked up his phone. Duo gestured his office and smiled at Hilde, "Shall we?"

Hilde managed to hold it together only until the click of the door. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"Exactly what I said." Duo replied calmly, he walked around to his desk and sat down. He leaned back in his comfortable office chair and spread his hands. "Winner Enterprises needs a strong leader, and Second Chance Inc can provide the kind of security they are looking for."

"We..." Hilde shook her head, "Fine. Even if that's true, we don't need to be hostile about it."

"Like Ilana and Irina Winner are going to let Quatre's company out of their claws."

Hilde shook her head and walked over to the window. L2 lay sprawling before her, comfortable and beautiful. Second Chance Inc had been at the forefront of building up L2 from the rotten colony it had been. She turned and looked at Duo, searching his face. "And the rest?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard you." She took a step forward, "You made it sound like you didn't trust the Preventers... the Earth Space Union... anymore."

He simply smiled at her. "I am going to need you to trust me." 

Hilde stared at him, a frown on her face. "Give me one good reason to trust you when you sound like you're about to throw away everything we've ever worked for because some fanatics killed your friend. You're betraying Quatre's memory." Her face hardened, "You're going to betray us all."

"Gundam." He said quietly. "That's the only reason I can give you." 

Hilde's lips paled as she pressed them together. Nodding once solidly, she came and sat down. "What do I need to know?"

Duo's smile was honest for the first time since the morning. "Things are going to get worse..."

***

Duo got out of his car, locking it. He glanced around, aware that even though Quatre's secret facility was well hidden, there was still plenty of reason to be wary. He had the feeling of being watched, but another look around didn't pinpoint anything for him. He started making his way to the elevator out of the car park. His long black coat allowed him to gently shift his hand to rest on his weapon. 

He made an unexpected turn, pressing his back against a pillar. 

There was a soft snort next to him. 

Heero was stood right there, arms folded. "You need retraining."

Hackles raised, Duo snarled as he pushed away from the pillar. "Fuck you, Yuy." Duo reached up to straighten his tie. "I could have shot you."

"Why do you think I revealed myself now?" Heero raised a foot to push himself away from the pillar. "I can retrain you."

"With the left or the right fist this time?" Duo scoffed and walked away to the lift. "No thanks. If I want someone's personal attention, I think I'll ask Milliardo."

Duo didn't have to turn to know his comment had made its mark; by the time they stood side by side in the lift, Heero's face was like stone, jaw working. Duo almost smirked. Having Heero angry was a pain, but at least it kept him at a distance. Relena's husband hated her brother and gay people in equal measure, and it suited him fine to remind Heero that Duo was gay. Duo folded his arms, watching the numbers tick away as the lift climbed. 

He listened carefully; Heero was breathing in a very controlled way. Four in, four hold, four out... clearly trying to control his anger. Shaking his head, Duo moved backward to lean against the wall. Heero could fuck himself. Ever since... Duo looked away from the back of Heero's head. Once upon a time, they might have had something but Heero had been too fucking focused on being Relena's white knight.... and some asshole street brat didn't even factor into that fairy tale. Admittedly, getting drunk and hitting on Milliardo at Heero and Relena's wedding reception wasn't his finest hour, but it had been well worth it to see Heero's brilliant blue eyes fill with unfocused rage when he couldn't decide which one of them to deck first. 

The lift dinged discreetly and the doors shushed open. Heero didn't even glance behind him before walking out with purpose. Duo strolled after him, nodding and smiling at the various Maganac soldiers he recognised as they passed. Eventually, they arrived at Quatre's private room. Iria was sat beside him and turned to them as Duo knocked at the door. 

"Can Quatre come out to play, Miss Winner?" Duo drawled. 

Iria's expression momentarily pinched before Quatre reached out and patted her hand reassuringly. She glanced at him and then back to Duo. "He's still a little weak; please don't stress him out." She got up and paused by Duo. "Is this part of your plan?"

Duo stared back at her evenly. "Yes, ma'am." He reached out to hold her hand and squeezed warningly. "But the next time you ask me that, I won't give you the same answer."

"Contingency B." Iria gazed at Quatre. "I understand."

Quatre looked back and forth between them as Iria left. Heero took a position near the reinforced window, taking a moment to adjust the blinds, while Duo leaned back near the door with a smile that only touched his lips. Quatre sighed, "What happened now?" He raised a hand and shook his head. "Forget I asked. Leave your personal problems at the door. Trowa and Wufei should have realised by now we're proceeding with Contingency B..." He stared at Duo. "Has either one reached out yet?"

Duo shook his head. "No. But I have an alternative means of contact. I suspect one of my employees may have sympathies for Colony Apart. Isn't that the organisation the journo thought she was investigating?"

"You need to eliminate that risk immediately." Heero's voice was low, but still sharp. "If you knew--"

"I've got it under control, Yuy. He's a new hire, low risk." Duo glared back, even the pretense of his smile disappearing as he spoke to Heero. "If you just trusted me for ten minutes--"

"It's a contingency," Quatre agreed. He pointed at a tablet computer. "Heero, please. Our next steps are delicate."

Heero picked up the tablet and handed it over to Quatre, supporting the device as the injured man pushed himself into a seated position. "Duo is vital to the next step of this plan." He flicked a look at him as he spoke; impossible to assign an emotion to it. "We need you safe."

Momentary confusion flickered in Duo’s eyes before he pasted a smile back on. "I'll be fine. This guy is almost orgasmic at the thought that I might be somewhat sympathetic to their cause." He bared his teeth in a cold grin. "No sense in throwing away a possible connection."

"I agree," Quatre replied, bringing up their plan on his secured tablet. "I will assign it as Contingency D."

Duo made a soft snort, waving his hand when both Quatre and Heero looked at him. "Mind in the gutter." Quatre thought for a moment before dismissing it, but Heero frowned at Duo in plain bewilderment. Duo's smirk soured unpleasantly as he licked his lips obviously. 

Whatever Heero was about to say in response was fortunately lost as Duo's phone started ringing. He glanced down at his phone and abruptly stepped away from the wall. "I'm going to take this, it's Hills."

Quatre watched him walk out of the room, careful to close the door behind him. Only then did Heero straighten and walked back to the window. Quatre listened to him breathe for a moment, slow and deliberate, before he decided to speak. "You'd find it easier, Heero, if you simply spoke to him."

Heero scoffed and folded his arms, leaning against the window frame to stare out. "He wouldn't listen to me now. It's been too long. He hates me." He let his head sink forward, dark hair momentarily falling in front of his brilliant blue eyes. "I keep reaching out. He keeps slapping me away."

"Can you at least try to stop antagonising him for long enough for this operation to work?" Quatre replied, a little of his impatience seeping into his tone. "You can always try and make it work better when perhaps Wufei and Trowa's lives aren't on the line."

Heero rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to a fixed point outside of the window. 

The door opened and Duo walked back into the room, his eyes flicking between Quatre and Heero as bitter amusement appeared in his face. "Oh, good to know Heero's not only frosty with me." He raised his hand, showing his phone screen. "Hills tells me that Wufei's reached her. She's done the whole hysterical thing on him; he's sold her the concept that he's being held at gunpoint. She's reluctantly passed on my direct number." He smiled broadly as he sat down at the end of Quatre's bed. "Now, we just need to wait." Duo tilted his head towards Quatre, "How desperately should I sell this?"

Quatre gave it some thought, pale blue eyes turning cold as he calculated. "Winner Enterprises is proving hard to take over. You could use a little bit of leverage to push it through." He tilted his head. "Think that works for you?"

Duo smiled, violet eyes knowing. "I can make it work."

With eerily perfect timing, his phone began ringing again, an unknown number appearing on his screen. He glanced between Heero and Quatre, before answering it in an angry voice. "How did you get this number?" His tone abruptly gentled as he smiled warmly, "Wufei?" Duo stood and walked away from the bed. "No. No, it's fine. In fact... I was rather hoping you would call." 

He turned to nod at Quatre and Heero. 

"Oh? That's very interesting... So, what can I do for you?"


	7. The White Knight

The darkness was almost soothing after his busy day. Duo felt the car - a nondescript people carrier; reinforced axis and reinforced glass, judging by the muted city noise - make a few turns into a rundown sector of L2. He knew exactly where he was, despite the hood. He’d laughed when Wufei had thrust it at him with a roll of his dark eyes, but the people standing behind him hadn’t seemed the type to joke around. 

Trowa wasn’t with them; the mook who sat next to Duo in the car was fidgety. Wufei was sat on his other side, outwardly calm and still as dark water. Duo, however, could feel the tension pooling in Wufei through the seat as his thigh muscles slowly flexed. Another couple of turns, weirdly circular in nature until Duo realised it was to throw off any cars that might potentially be following them. He almost laughed. This outfit was not a professional group. They had money and they had the tools, but the people… Duo flexed his fingers; the cable ties on his hands were unnecessary and probably there just to intimidate him. 

As soon as they’d all got out of the car, one of the nervous mooks removed the hood from his head. Duo took a grateful gulp of air before the Suit in front of him panicked and dragged the hood back over. 

“Are you insane?” hissed the man Duo took to be the Suit. The mook shambled an apology before Wufei gave a brash laugh.

“As if it matters,” Wufei stated dismissively, “He knows where he is.” 

“I do actually know exactly where I am.” Duo smiled even though they couldn’t see his face under the hastily returned hood. “I mean, you would have been better off knocking me out.” 

He heard a smug noise from Wufei and turned towards Wufei as if he could see him through the hood. “Oh, suggested that, did you, you sadistic bastard?”

“Of course,” Wufei sneered back, “but they got chickenshit about the dosage.” 

“Oh. Ohh. But you always get the dosage right.” Duo replied, forcing a sarcastic amount of disappointment into his voice. “I thought you said this was of interest to me.” 

“Bear with, Zero Two.” Trowa’s voice was droll as he approached. “We’re getting there with them. They’re just a little… tame at the moment. Ms Taurus, might I introduce you to Mr Stem, Gundam Pilot Zero Two and our finest explosives expert.” 

Duo smiled to himself, listened very carefully for a moment before stepping forward and holding out his hand. Judging by the gasps around him, he’d hit the mark perfectly. “Pleasure to meet you.” 

A bony hand took his, giving him a firm handshake. “I was told you were all different from normal space-born.” 

“We all are. Gundam Pilots were never just normal.” Duo tilted his head. “I’m a little more… open with my abilities than others. Shall we dispense with the hood and get down to business?” 

***

“You want to blow up an L4 mining colony?” 

Duo leaned back in his swivel chair and swung in it for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. He chuckled and let his head loll toward Trowa. “And you killed Zero Four?”

Trowa had his face in his hands, elbows on the table. His voice was muffled when he replied, "I didn't know they wanted to blow up a colony."

Duo laughed, "My man, they always want to blow up a colony."

"What is it with the Barton foundation and wanting to drop colonies?" Wufei asked thoughtfully as he leaned back. "Well, we can't count on Zero Four's connections." He made a frustrated noise and looked at Riko. He patted his knee and then again when she looked hesitantly at Ms Taurus. Mr Taurus gave a curt nod and Riko walked over. She sat delicately in Wufei's lap, facing the other pilots. 

Duo glanced at her, "What's your name, honey?"

"Rikki." She blinked, looking uncomfortable as Wufei ran a hand over her backside, swinging his other hand over her lap. 

"Nataku." Wufei replied at the same time, his expression adoring. 

"She looks healthy." Duo commented off-handedly, looking back at the display screen. 

"I'm not chicken shit about dosage." Wufei replied in a bored tone. 

That seemed to discomfort Mr Capricorn enough to make him clear his throat. "Since you can't help us anymore--"

"Who said I couldn't help you?" Duo smiled charmingly. "Change your perspective.” He leaned forward and tapped a set of coordinates, causing a smaller colony to appear on screen. One of L1's satellites. 

Mr Capricorn frowned, “That's an insignificant target.” 

“Actually...” Mr Scorpio leaned forward. He was a broad man with a grim expression and arms that looked like they could snap a person in two. He nodded. “That satellite is on Ms Peacecraft's itinerary.” He looked at Ms Taurus and shrugged. “It would be a suitable alternative target.” 

“If you're going to blow up a satellite, pick one that someone actually gives a shit about.” Duo smiled broadly, spreading his hands as if giving them a gift. “You just need to relocate some of your resources…” He gave Trowa a smug look. “Of course, logistics was never my speciality. That would have been Zero Four's... Maybe if you'd just---”

“The little shit had it coming.” Trowa snarled ferociously. 

Duo threw his hands up in a placating manner and leaned away. “A joke, a joke.” He smiled uneasily. “Then we have to use a hammer... Zero One could get us in. He’s got the access you’d need to be able to the colony you want to go...” Here, he made his fingers move out from his fists in an exploding gesture. “Kah-boom.” 

“Zero One wants us dead.” Wufei seemed fixed on Riko's face, his hand stroking her hair gently. 

“Zero One wants  _ you _ dead,” Duo clarified, “but I might be able to get a little... dirt on the white knight.” He switched his attention to Ms Taurus. “If that's worth something to you.”

For an instant, her eyes flickered to Wufei in disgust before focusing on Duo. “What do you want?”

Duo smiled easily as he spread his hands. “I am a simple man with simple tastes. Let's talk money.”

***

“She stays here.” 

Wufei's look was unpleasant. “No, she doesn't.” 

Ms Aries rolled her eyes and shook her head as she said warningly. “Capricorn.”

Slicing one hand through the air, Mr Capricorn made a stop motion. “She stays here.” 

Moving fast, Wufei grabbed Riko and held a gun to her head. He stared coldly at the man. 

Mr Capricorn's eyes filled with fear and he held up his hands, “Wait. Wait.”

“Shit.” Ms Aries muttered, looking at Trowa and Duo. Duo was staring down at his mobile device, while Trowa finished pulling on his body armour. Ms Aries frowned, “Can't you do something?”

“Have you ever tried taking Mr Root’s toys away from him?” Duo replied, looking up with a bored expression. He loosely gestured the girl. “She comes along, or he blows a hole in her head and you'll find out that he's got another girl from somewhere.” His phone pinged and he smiled, holding up the screen. “Zero One's ready to meet. Let's go!” A keen grin lit his face as Duo climbed into the van. “Let’s just go already!”

“Trust me, Zero Four tried.” Barely glancing at Mr Capricorn, Trowa fastened his suit and took a moment to pull on his gloves. “You care if she lives, then let her live a little longer in his bed. She goes with him.”

Mr Capricorn made a disgusted noise. “You were supposed to be heroes!” 

“Capricorn.” Ms Aries shook her head and picked up a spare bulletproof vest. She held it out to Riko who took it with trembling hands. “Mr Root, of course you can bring her with you.” She made a motion towards the gun still pressed at the base of Riko's head. “Please. There's no need to act hastily.” 

Wufei stared at Mr Capricorn for a long moment before lowering and holstering his gun. He cupped his hands around Riko's face, staring fondly into her eyes. "You're mine. I won't let anyone take you, Nataku."

"Tha-thank you, Wufei." Riko replied faintly as she allowed him to help her put on the vest. 

Once they'd all entered the van, Duo leaned over Mr Capricorn's seat. “What's the matter, Mr Sea-goat? You look like you've gotten in bed with a demon…” Duo gave the man a pat on the shoulder and then sat back, laughing darkly. 

***

While the van moved, Riko found herself a little short on breath. The gundam pilot who'd introduced himself as Zero Five, Wufei, had been so gentle while she'd stayed in his room. She'd appreciated that every touch he'd given her, however harsh and unloving it appeared, had been... firm, yes, but very gentle; always careful not to injure. Even now as he jealously guarded her in the back seat, one arm firmly around her shoulders, one hand resting on her wrist, she didn't feel any discomfort from where he touched her. He'd kept his hair unbound, while constantly mussing up her own hair. It allowed him to look like he was occasionally kissing her neck when in fact... She felt his lips move over her skin, quietly warning her to keep looking ahead. "If you're doing okay, squeeze my hand." 

She squeezed his hand and felt his smile.

Riko shivered.

It made Wufei move away with a momentary look of concern. 

She gave him a small smile... until she caught Capricorn watching them in the mirror. Riko quickly turned it into a desperately appeasing look and then moved to kiss Wufei. He stiffened for only a moment before pushing her back like a man starved. He kissed her deeply and she felt his hand roam her body. At first it felt a little off, like he couldn't quite decide where to touch her, but then - when he slipped something small and cold into her bra - she understood. A tracking device? Riko drew a breath as Wufei pulled away. In front of them, Capricorn made a gruff, angry noise.

Wufei stared at her intently, very close. He gave her the barest of nods and she nodded back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zero Two stretch his arms lazily and watched as a small flashing device fell from his hands behind his head. He yawned loudly to cover the noise of it hitting the floor behind him. 

He brought his hands back down, and dug around in his pocket to pull out his phone. “Zero One is in the hotel room; he's asking where I am?”

“Tell him traffic is bad,” Capricorn said gruffly. It wasn't a lie - they'd been moving at a crawl. 

Zero Two grinned, leaned forward and pointed ahead. “I could probably just walk from here, you know?”

“We wouldn't be in range for the wire.” Ms Aries glanced at him suspiciously. “I can't get a recording if you're out of range.” 

“I could just keep my phone on loudspeaker, mute the call,” Zero Two drawled, “but you know... I'm sure Zero One will be totally patient and..." He looked up, disturbing violet eyes crossing slightly, then smacked his head lightly. “Oh wait, that's Zero Four! Four was the one with the patience.” Duo snorted, holding up his phone. “Look, this text message is the last one we’ll get before he tells me he's out. Just let me go now! I'll jog there, get him talking and then you get the dirt.” He sat back, jerking his thumb towards the other pilots. “Of course, if you'd rather do it your way, we could always phone him and tell him we're bringing these two knuckleheads to him.” 

Here Zero Three, entirely silent until now, growled something low and threatening. Riko wasn't very sure of Zero Three. His dark green eyes were always expressionless. With Zero Five, his dark eyes were liquid and she could see that he didn't always mean it. Zero Three was totally different. She wasn't sure about him.

Zero Two held up his hands, "I kid, I kid." 

Capricorn drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. “If we lose this…”

“I know,” Ms Aries sighed. “Okay, you need to call--”

Zero Two unbuckled his seatbelt, jumped out of the van and slammed the door closed behind him before she'd even finished. Riko leaned forward to watch Zero Two bound forward, evens nimbly jumping onto and from car to car to get past the stationary traffic. 

"Moron." Zero Three muttered. 

"He doesn't have our number!" Ms Aries threw her hands up, "What in the hell--"

Zero Three rolled his eyes and held up his phone for her to see. Zero Two was ringing him. "He's on it." He picked up the call and handed the phone over to Ms Aries. She stared blankly at it and then plugged it into her device, transferring the audio into a recording app. 

Riko glanced at Wufei, chewing her lip nervously. He stared impassively ahead, but his dark eyes slid towards her and he gave her one certain nod. 

Reassured, Riko blinked and slid down slightly, resting her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes. From the front of the van, Zero Two's call was slightly muffled - presumably his phone was secured in a pocket - but he was clearly moving at a quick pace. She heard him as he entered a hotel, stopping off at the desk to inform them he was meeting a friend; she took a breath and Wufei's arm tightened comfortingly around her. 


	8. A little trust

Taking a moment to stretch his legs, Trowa walked around the van. He faced the uptown block - clean, well maintained streets, and buildings modeled on L1's fancier apartments. He took a moment to pull out his phone and look at it. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the reflection of Ms Aries watching him in the side mirror. He slipped his phone away and climbed back into the van, glancing at Wufei before turning his attention back to the recording device on Ms Aries’s lap. 

Duo's voice was low as he muttered something about lifts taking too long. A few moments later, they heard a clear rap on a door, followed by a door opening. 

Heero's voice was low and gruff. "You're late." 

"Traffic, my man." Duo's voice turned charming. "You know how downtown is. I got outta my ride and ran the rest of the way." 

"Hn." 

There was a pause. 

"Well, bud, are you gonna let me in?" 

There was another awkward pause before Duo wheedled, "C'mon man, I ran all the way here!" 

Mr Capricorn turned to look at Trowa, "Is something wrong?" 

Trowa shook his head once. 

Ms Aries held her hand over the device, fingers brushing the button that would end the call. "Why isn't he letting him in?" 

"Can you please just fucking trust him?" Trowa stared at them coldly, "If there's anyone in the universe aside from Ms Peacecraft that can get Zero One to do anything, it's Zero Two."

***

Duo leaned against the door frame, holding up a finger. He silently mouthed to Heero to wait one more moment. He knew the prospect of failure would be killing them on the other end. He let the silence linger before nodding to Heero, who blinked and stepped aside. "Come on in."

Duo grinned brightly. "Thanks man." He made a quick gesture to his coat pocket, signing a phone and then mouthed, "They're listening."

The former Gundam Wing pilot looked at him grimly before nodding his understanding slowly. "You wanted to talk."

"Why don't you offer me a drink?" Duo replied, moving to sit on the bed's edge. He made a cutting gesture at his neck. "Maybe we should catch up fir--"

"You wanted to talk so talk." Heero snapped, even though his face remained flat. He checked his watch silently, miming tapping it twice.

Duo glanced at his own watch and nodded his understanding to Heero. "Sure, sure." He leaned forward, lowering his voice only slightly. "I'll cut straight to it. You're cut up about four. I get that."

“Do you? You're like a vulture after his company.”

“I just don't want to see his fucking sisters get their claws into what he built. He built for the colonies.” Duo made a gesture with his hands, signalling that Heero needed to dial back. "Those bitches don't believe in the colonies - they only believe in the money.”

“I know that.” Heero softened his voice a little; then frowned for a moment. Duo held up three fingers, and Heero nodded sharply. "Three killed him. I can't forgive that. After all we've been through--”

Duo rolled his eyes, smirking. His voice, however, was entirely serious. “I know, man. But think about it, how long until Four did us dirty?” Duo started a countdown on his fingers, Heero watched his hand intently. Duo made a fist and nodded. 

"What are you suggesting?" Heero said, his voice softer. 

"I’m  _ suggesting _ that maybe you get angry at the right target. Get angry at the corporations that grind our people down.” 

“Sounds like---”

“Yes. I know.” Duo leaned forward. “But they've got a point.” 

“... What do you want?”

“I want a little bit of access, and I want you to look away.” 

Heero frowned, he paused. His eyes roved around the room; the conversation hadn’t gone in quite the direction he'd been expecting. Duo simply smiled and put a finger on his lips. He got up from the bed fluidly, letting his coat drop to the ground. 

“Look away, or look around..." Duo took a step forward. “Maybe look at me. Trust me..." 

“What--?” Heero's eyes widened as Duo wound his arms around his neck. “We shouldn't--”

“It's been, what? Years? C'mon. You can't tell me the princess gets you hard anymore.” Duo smiled wickedly, he dropped a hand down to signal 'speed it up'. Heero nodded his understanding and almost choked when Duo pressed against his body and kissed him loudly. 

Duo broke it off, pushing himself away hard - making sure his stagger was audible to the other end of the call. "Dude, come on. You felt it. You can do it..." He made a gesture towards himself. 

Heero nodded and pushed his fingers into Duo's carefully braided hair, he pulled Duo closer. Duo grunted, smiling as he nodded. 

'Nice touch.' Duo mouthed. 'But easy!'

"I still want their heads."

"If you can get me what I want..." Duo let the sentence dangle. "Though obviously, I need a little more... reassurance."

"I'll look the other way." Heero growled, "If you let me kill them."

"So, do we have you on board, Zero One?" Duo asked deliberately, his voice raised. 

Heero smirked, "What else is on the menu?"

Duo blinked as if confused, momentarily until Heero slide a hand over his backside. "Oh..." Duo chuckled knowingly, "Oh, you're all about just fucking my brains out, really? You'd betray the princess?”

“It's over with her,” Heero replied gruffly, "I want you. I want Three and Five's heads." He paused. "And I want enough money to get away from it all."

Frowning slightly, Duo nodded, "Well, I think I've got what I came for." He reached down and pulled his phone out of his coat pocket. “Do you have what you want?” 

Heero reached out and pulled the phone towards him, his eyes locked with Duo’s as he snapped, “I'm willing to join you in exchange for Three and Five when this is done, money can be negotiated and…” He looked at Duo intently. “I get Two now. I'm not in the mood to be overheard while I take that tight ass, so you can hang up now.” 

Duo put a delicate hand over his mouth to smother his snigger as the phone lit up with the call disconnecting from the other end. Duo took a moment to switch it off. He shook his head. “A little off script at the end there, bud.”

“You intimated we should make it clear we're in a sexually motivated alliance.” 

“I did, but that stuff about betraying the princess? A little over the top, man.” Duo shook his head and stooped to pick up his coat. Heero reached out and pulled the coat from his hand. He took both the coat and the phone and dumped them on the nearby table. 

"It's not exactly a lie."

"Uh huh." Duo snorted disbelievingly, "You and the princess are airtight, I know. Don't worry about me jumping you!" He moved to recover his coat and phone, only for Heero to grab him by the wrists. Duo looked at his wrists and then at Heero. "The fuck?"

"I meant it." 

"Meant what?"

"You. I want you." Heero advanced, making Duo take a step back. "Relena and me? We're finished."

Duo stepped back again. "So what?"

"So, you wanted me."

"Once upon a time.” Duo clarified, he tilted his head. “You shut me down."

"I was wrong."

“What makes you right now?” Duo asked, feeling the back of his knees hit the bed. "What's the matter? Trouble in paradise and you want a taste of hell?”

"How about I've been in hell and now I've tasted freedom?" Heero released his grip on Duo, lightly brushing his hands over Duo's backside before snagging his hips to pull him in close. Duo's eyes flickered down, the only external indication that he felt Heero's erection. Heero focused on Duo's lips. “And I want more.”

“You fucking hate me.”

“I never said I hated you.”

Duo leaned forward, pressing himself closer against Heero, his lips fluttering over Heero's. “You don't get this... hard with the princess?”

Heero stared at him for a long moment, before reaching down and picking Duo up. He laid him down on the bed and climbed over him. "I don't get this hard with Relena." He rolled his hips. “Tell me you want me to stop and I will.” He pressed his body against Duo's, running his hands down Duo's thighs. “Tell me you don't want this, I'll stop."

Duo reached up, twined his arms around Heero's neck and smiled a bitter smile. “I... don't... want... this.”

Heero's jaw worked for a moment before he sat up and got off. Duo sat up and took a moment to sort out his clothes. Heero perched on the edge of the bed, his head hanging. 

"I'm sorry..." Heero began, uncertain now. "I thought... I misread your…” 

Duo slipped his fingers under Heero's jaw, pulling his head up. He stared into Heero's eyes for a long moment before moving to sit in his lap. He rested his palms either side of Heero's face. "I'm nobody's side piece, Yuy.” He shifted, rolling his hips deliberately against Heero. “You want me? Cool. You know I won't say no…” he shifted slightly to grab Heero's hand, bringing up the golden wedding band between them. “But I ain't no home-wrecker. Make things done with Relena for good, then we'll talk. Until then…” He slipped out of Heero's lap and stood. “You made a vow, soldier.” 

He moved to put on his coat and slipped his phone into his pocket. He didn't stop to look back until he reached the door. There he hesitated and Heero saw a brief look of concern and confusion pass over his face. 

Duo stuck his hands in his pockets. “I thought you hated me,” he admitted, “You've never forgiven me for almost fucking Zechs.”

“I've never forgiven Zechs for almost fucking you when I wanted you,” Heero corrected, his voice low and bitter. “I married Relena for love and duty; it didn't stop me from wanting you to keep.” 

Duo raised a hand to pinch his nose. “When this is done, we're going to have to sit and talk, huh?”

Heero's jaw worked for a long moment before he gave Duo a hard nod. "You’d better get back to them." 

"Yeah..." Duo paused thoughtfully before turning the lock on the door, then walked back to Heero, tugging his tie loose. "Though, I probably should go back looking like you've... how'd you put it?" he sneered, "Fucked this tight ass..." 

Heero’s blue eyes were cautious but a wry smile grew on his face as Duo moved closer.


	9. Blood on their hands

“Your inter-colony shuttle is a death trap.” His voice low and bored, Heero looked over his shoulder as Duo ran through the pre-flight checks. Mr Capricorn looked up from his own checklist tablet to scowl at him. Heero shrugged disdainfully. “You would think you want this mission to fail. My codes will get us through the security checks, but this machine will fall apart before we make contact with our advanced shuttle.”

Mr Capricorn tensely started, “This is a state of the art--”

“The Preventers’ shuttles will not only catch up with this wreckage, they will destroy it with a glancing blow.” Heero gestured the cabin. “This is at least two years old.” 

“It's fine, Zero One,” Trowa muttered from the opposite side, getting up to lean on the back of his chair. ”Cut them some slack, their operation is... inexperienced.” 

“That's putting it delicately.” Duo scoffed, holding up the checklist tablet to Trowa with a quick hand gesture. “Pre-flight's done.” 

Heero snatched the checklist out of Duo's fingers and began performing the checks himself. 

“Asshole.” Duo snorted and sat back. He looked up at Trowa. “Where's Zero Five?”

“Banging his bitch probably,” Trowa replied in bored tone, then rolled his eyes when Mr Capricorn made a small disgusted noise. “Oh, sorry. I mean, he's stowing his gear.”

“I bet he's making sure it's in tight. Speaking of… stowing gear...” Duo stood up and gestured the cabins. “I'm gonna get into a space suit. Hey, Zero-One - wanna perform a pre-flight check on my suit?” 

Mr Capricorn looked positively sick, his fingers clenching hard around the tablet. Heero handed the one he’d been checking over to Trowa wordlessly and got up. He reached out to catch Duo by the belt and pulled him back for a kiss. Mr Capricorn turned his head away from the sight, which gave Trowa a brief moment to slip into Heero's pilot seat and make a couple of alterations to the shuttle comms receiving frequency. 

Duo and Heero made a mess of their exit, bumping all over the place as Heero tried to drag Duo in for another frenzied kiss. Trowa slipped in one more command before turning in his seat to glance at Mr Capricorn. “You really hate it when people get physical?” He smiled with false concern. “Shit. Best avoid the cabins for a while.” Trowa jerked his chin toward the door. “They get rowdy. Should have seen the safe houses back in the day…” He chuckled and turned back to the console, this time knowing that Mr Capricorn was glaring at him. 

Capricorn made a strangled noise for a moment before he bit out. “You were just kids. Too young for any kind of sexual--”

“Yes, and the colonies wanted to be free. Me? My education came at the hands of some very inconsiderate mercs…” Trowa drew a deep breath and gestured breezily with the tablet he was holding. “What can you do?” 

Mr Capricorn turned pale for a moment. 

Trowa turned his head as the comms panel lit up with an incoming call. He smiled sardonically at Mr Capricorn who answered with undue haste. Ms Aries nodded tightly, voice tinny through the speakers. “They've arrived.” 

“Have you screened them?”

“Can't find anything about them.”

Capricorn tossed Trowa a look. Trowa was careful to let his eyes remain cold as his smile grew. He got up and walked over to the comm screen and leant into view. Beside Ms Aries stood three of Quatre's Maganacs, dressed in dark fatigues - nothing like their normal traditional dress. Trowa dipped his head. "Auda, Efraz... Afaal." 

Afaal - a tall man with black eyes - stepped forward. "You said we'd get paid." 

"A quarter now, the rest later." Trowa nodded. "Good to see you. This is..." Here he gestured the man beside him. "... Mr Capricorn." His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he looked down at Mr Capricorn. "These three are a trio of... very inconsiderate mercs. Why don't you welcome them aboard?" 

Trowa had to give it to Mr Capricorn; only his pale, pressed lips revealed his inner revulsion as he stared at the men. "My..." His voice was tight. "Pleasure."

***

"Are you all right?"

Glancing up from her laptop, Riko raised an eyebrow at Wufei. “You do know that's the fifth time you've asked in the last hour?” She smiled as he glanced up at the ceiling, a brief look of impatience passing over his face. She shifted slightly from her position on the bed, closing the laptop. “It's sweet that you're so worried.”

That brought a flush she wasn't expecting to his face. Riko blinked as Wufei shook his head, focusing again on the weapons he'd laid on the end of the bed opposite her. "It's imperative that you're able to function," he muttered, lifting a gun and scrutinising it carefully. "Our window of opportunity is not wide. We've been flying for over two hours now. We will be making our move soon. You'll need to--"

"Be prepared to scream on your command, distracting Capricorn as Zero Two and Zero One arm the weapons cache - while Zero Three jams communications.” She glanced up for a moment. “You and I struggle until you can bundle me into the canteen, where I will start getting an evac suit on.” She paused and tilted her head. “How'd I do?”

“Pretty good.” He frowned. “How did you pick up on the communications jam?”

She made a small gesture with her fingers, showing him what she'd figured out from the brief conversation the gundams had had earlier. She'd watched them and realised that - while they were talking - their eyes and fingers were doing entirely different things... there was a whole other fluid conversation under their spoken one. Wufei nodded tightly, looking vaguely disappointed. "You have some experience with military signals?"

Her smile was tight. “Not exactly. My sister and I grew up in a... less than loving home. Our mother was a soldier; she taught us. Sometimes you needed to say one thing but mean another.” 

His expression was dancing lightly between being impressed and dismay. “I'm sorry.”

“What for? You couldn't have possibly stopped the war by yourself.” She sat up, setting her laptop to one side and wrapping her arms around her knees. “You're caring. I wasn't expecting you to be so... gentle.”

Wufei snorted. “Gentle is not a word that is often used to describe…” He glanced up. “Any of us. Even Zero Four.” 

Riko's throat briefly tightened. “Did you really have to kill him?” She looked down at her laptop. “He was doing some much good--”

“We need them to take us seriously,” Wufei replied, his voice now disinterested and flat. 

Riko pursed her lips. “When will you mourn, though?”

“We were not close.” He pulled the magazine out of his gun and looked at it critically; then he reloaded the gun and put it to one side. “We all serve the cause.”

“That's what the old newshounds say.” Riko tilted her head. “But you're not really this... cold.” She shook herself. “I think I've seen--” She stopped as he fluidly moved, shifting off the bed and drawing a gun to hold against her head. She stared at him, searching for any spark of gentleness. There was nothing in his dark eyes; he was as expressionless as he appeared in front of Ms Taurus. The only thing missing was the unhinged rage. She swallowed as his eyes narrowed, before he backed off and re-holstered his weapon. 

“You need to be more convincing,” Wufei said as he drifted over to the nearby cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of water and took a sip, then floated thoughtfully in the cabin for a moment - a luxury afforded them by the low gravity in the shuttle. He finally shook his head and moved back to sit on the bed. “You need to be more afraid of me. Distracting them only works because our values appear so fundamentally different to them... their disgust forces them to not look so carefully.” 

“I understand.” Riko dipped her head. “I'm sorry.” 

“You're curious, I understand that.” Wufei made a small gesture. “Just don't let it get in the way of your job.”

“My life, you mean?”

His smile was faint. “I do.” He walked towards her and raised a hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. His eyes were dark, filled with something she couldn't quite place and, his smile was a little tight. “We should practice your flinching. I shouldn't be able to get so close without you tightening your shoulders automatically.” He lightly brushed his fingertips over her shoulder blades and she flexed. “Yes, like that.” 

“I'm ticklish…”

“Good. We can use that instead.” 

***

Duo paused by the door, waiting for Heero to join him. They had made enough of a scene getting to their cabin, and then enough noise, to put off the nosiest of Santuary's mooks. Cracking the door open to briefly check the corridor again, he raised a hand to run it through his fringe, messing it up a little more. Not too much, mind. Roughly tumbled or no, he still needed to look like a professional. They’d gotten changed into the standard space evac suits ready for the shuttle’s mission. The corridor was still empty; he closed the door.

Behind him, Heero was typing rapidly on his laptop. The old clunky combat laptop of old had been retired a few years ago and had been replaced with a sleek, smaller device. Heero glanced up. "Time?"

Duo glanced at his watch. "We've been gone an hour."

"We need to get to the cargo bay." Heero nodded, typing his last line of code. "You remember the combinations?"

"Of course." Duo folded his arms and leaned against the door. "I'm not an idiot."

"I didn't say that."

"No." Duo looked away. "Ready?"

Heero nodded and stowed his laptop away, then glanced at his own watch. "Trowa will have sent the message by now. I've hooked my system into theirs..." He looked up expectantly. Above them, the lights flickered minutely. His lips twitched in a small, smug smile. "Yes. And now the virus is spreading. We should be able to control the vessel and render the external weapons useless after attacking Sanctuary’s advanced shuttle."

"Spectacular work." Duo pushed away from the door. "Now, let's go see what toys Trowa’s hired mercs have brought us."

He was stopped by Heero grabbing him firmly by the elbow. Before he could ask, Heero had him up against the door and was kissing him hard.

Heero pulled back, his eyes darting away. "You didn't look much like I'd ravished you."

That made Duo snort. "Uh huh."

***

"--know she's a bitch, you know that. I don't see why you keep denying it."

Ms Aries looked up from the storage crate as Zero Two entered the cargo bay. Trailing behind him was Zero One, looking very sullen. Above them all, the lights flickered again. It set her teeth on edge. Mechanical failure in the craft you were on - no matter how minor - was always something to be wary of. Colony born, she knew well the fragility of life in space... indeed, she'd joined White Fang after L5's destruction, deeply moved by the concept that it was a choice between earth's dictatorship or death.

Zero Two made a wide gesture, helmet in one hand. "I frankly wouldn't be able to get it up after being exposed to that frigid bitch anyway--" Zero One took him by the collar of his space suit, dropping his own helmet, and slammed Zero Two against the bulkhead. Zero Two’s helmet went skittling across the floor.

"I told you. Stop talking."

Zero Two's face did an ugly thing. "She destroyed us, the best thing in our lives, and for what?"

"She's..." From her vantage point, Ms Aries couldn't see what expression Zero One had, but it had to be terrifying, judging from the way Zero Two's face melted into desperate appeasement.

"I'm joking, man, I'm just joking." Zero Two earnestly patted the clenched hand on his collar. "C'mon man, take a joke."

Ms Aries took a step towards them, concerned by the tense atmosphere. Zero Two noticed her move and his eyes blanked. "Now, see. You're making our friends nervous."

Zero One stiffened and stepped away, turning to glare at her.

She held up her hands. "Just wondering what's going on."

"Nothing," Zero One spat before stalking off.

Zero Two's smile was insincere. "Hey, don't worry. He gets a little wound tight."

"I was under the impression you had made peace."

At her last word, Zero Two's face fell entirely flat. "There is no peace." He straightened his space suit, checking the seals were still in place, and gave her an empty smile. "You wanted better guns. Are you happy with the cargo?"

Ms Aries swallowed, unnerved by his shifting emotional state. "Uh... yes." She glanced over her shoulder at the box she'd been inspecting. "It feels like there are more explosives than we requested."

"Does it?" Zero Two frowned. “Show me the requisition form? Maybe I put down one extra zero, you know how it is.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, show me what's wrong?”

She shrugged out from under his arm, moving towards the door. “I'm sure it's going to be fine. I just thought---”

A scream ripped through the shuttle. Ms Aries froze as she realised it was the sound of that girl that Ms Taurus had... given to the fifth pilot. She paused by the door, looking towards the Gundams with confusion when they didn’t move with her. “Aren’t you…?” She heard another scream. “Aren’t you going to do something?”

“Oh dear…” Zero Two chuckled darkly. “Sounds like he's finally bored of her.” He waved it off and walked towards Zero One. "Hey, Ms Aries thinks we packed too much explosive...."

****

Trowa sat back in the pilot's chair, feet resting on the co-pilot's seat. They were cruising now. Mr Capricorn was quietly fuming, but finding it impossible to complain about the inherent professionalism of the three mercenaries he was forced to deal with. Auda had been the only one to say anything so far, and even then only to Trowa. It simply added to their air of danger. Trowa glanced from Mr Capricorn to the view screen. Ahead, he could see the advanced scout shuttle. 

Sanctuary's second plan was more delicate than the original scheme they'd hired the gundam pilots for. The target was to destroy one of the smaller colonies. The advanced scout shuttle was there to keep tabs on the progress of Relena's transport and help to distract the Preventers around her delegation. 

It wouldn't get much further than that.

Trowa stared at their shuttle's control board, watching the lights flicker from green to red and back again. Heero's virus was creeping over the shuttle’s systems, but right now all that hinted at its presence were minor malfunctions which - owing to the shuttle's age - could be easily explained away. 

Auda leaned over the back of his chair, muttering in his own language. "Our friend wishes you well. He's on his way."

Nodding, Trowa replied in the same language, "Good. Not sure how much more of these donkeys I can take."

Auda's laugh was short and low as he clapped a hand on Trowa's shoulder. He walked away and sat down. Trowa sighed and straightened. He ran his hands over the console, checking the time. Wufei would be moving Riko to the canteen soon; Duo and Heero would be rigging the weapons to malfunction, causing a small controlled explosion that would disable this shuttle. The advanced shuttle would be next. When they came to 'rescue' their damaged craft, Trowa and the Maganacs would be ready to take them out as well. 

Mr Capricorn slid into the co-pilot's seat. He looked over his shoulder at Auda. "What did he want?"

Trowa raised his eyebrows in a dismissive facial shrug. “He asked about his pay.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him to be patient, that you were going to pay.” Trowa smiled vaguely. “After all, you're not idiots.”

Mr Capricorn stared at him for a moment and Trowa briefly worried he'd pushed too far. 

He warmed his smile a shade and leaned forward. “I notice Ms Taurus and Mr Scorpio left us to run this op. Why aren't they on the ground with us?”

The mention of the other leaders’ names made Capricorn's lips twist unpleasantly. He shifted in his seat. “Don't have the same military background. They've not got the instinct to react in these kinds of situations.”

Trowa nodded. “I get that. Civilians?” He scoffed softly. “They would have been in the way.”

“Exactly.” Capricorn sounded bitter though. “They could learn, but they don't want to. Not prepared to get blood on their hands to achieve their dreams.”

“Sounds familiar.” Trowa made sure to sound jaded. “My doctor couldn't have cared less if I lived or died.” 

Capricorn looked morbidly curious but Trowa straightened, reaching out to tap a few commands. He idly tapped a red light. “Your death trap wants some attention.”

Behind them, a scream ripped through the air. 

Mr Capricorn stood, but Trowa simply raised a hand and made a fist. Auda and the other mercs, who had stilled for a moment to listen, went back to their work. Capricorn glared down at Trowa. “He’s hurting her.”

“He’ll probably kill her before the day is done,” Trowa replied. “Do you want it to interfere with the mission?”

“You’d let him.”

Trowa looked up, making sure he was staring Capricorn dead in the eye. “The mission comes first.”

He waited until Mr Capricorn sprinted out the cabin before allowing himself to smile, then looked at Auda. “Let’s get a move on. We’re going to have about 10 minutes in which we need to incapacitate the advanced shuttle.” Trowa pointed towards the emergency locker at the back of the cabin. “Suits are in there.”

***

The hand in her hair was clenched tightly, the pain ripping another scream from her as Wufei dragged her towards the canteen. Riko reached out, momentarily gaining purchase on Wufei's arm to manage a desperate stumble behind him. "Please! Please! Oh shit, please! No, no, I'll do it!" She felt her shoe snag and whimpered as it came off, bending her ankle the wrong way in the process. She let the pain pull another scream from her.

Behind them, the command room’s door slid open and Mr Capricorn ran out into the corridor. "What are you doing?"

Wufei paused only long enough to toss a contemptuous look over his shoulder before dipping down to gain a greater hold on Riko. He wrapped his arms around her waist and resumed hauling her towards the canteen.

Riko reached out to Mr Capricorn. "Please, help me!"

It worked; Mr Capricorn didn't even look behind him before stumbling forward. From the right, running in from the cargo space, Ms Aries scrambled ahead of him. Wufei lunged further - out of their reach - and slammed his fist against the door activation panel for the canteen.

It felt like that one movement set a thousand different things in motion. The lights flickered. The shuttle shuddered. The artificial gravity briefly failed, causing Capricorn and Aries to lose their footing. Behind them - ready in their own space suits - Heero and Duo dashed out around the corner, pushing past the Sanctuary leaders to reach Wufei and Riko. Riko almost screamed in surprise as Heero effortlessly took her from Wufei and started running towards the canteen. Wufei grabbed a hold of Duo, allowing him to pull the former Zero Five gundam pilot along, his suit’s magnetic boots keeping him on the floor.

The shuttle lurched once more, and this time a cacophony of alarms, metal and people screamed within the lower decks. The lights flickered once before switching to the emergency backup, the hallway washed in red. Alarms began sounding as limited gravity was restored, and around them, emergency bulkheads started to slam. Duo and Wufei dived into the canteen, Mr Capricorn hot on their heels. As he passed her, Ms Aries tied to grab on to Capricorn; he merely spun to deliver a hard kick to her midsection, sending her back into the corridor.

The doors slammed shut and the emergency bulkhead sealed. On the other side, Ms Aries screamed for help, knocking desperately. Riko moved forward only to be stopped when Heero’s grip tightened, holding her fast. Riko looked over her shoulder at him, eyes wide. "She's just there-- we’ve got to--"

The former gundam pilot's normally hard expression softened for a moment as he shook his head once.

The next time the shuttle lurched, Ms Aries's screams cut out abruptly.

Riko gawped at the door. "You just left her?"

“She was already dead,” Mr Capricorn snarled, reaching for his gun. He froze as Duo pressed the muzzle of his own gun under Capricorn's chin.

“She could have made it,” Duo replied coldly, “you piece of shit.”

“Riko.” Wufei took her by the shoulders and forced her towards the space suits stored in the canteen for emergencies. “We've got to move.”

Capricorn snarled, “This was all a con. Never trust a fucking gundam.”

“What can we say?” Duo smiled charmingly, “We really do enjoy saving the world.” He took a step back, keeping his aim while adopting a steady stance next to Heero. Heero stepped forward.

“As previously acknowledged, I am reminding you of my capacity as a serving officer of the Preventers' organisation. I remind you of your right to remain silent; you do not need to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you fail to disclose something upon which you may later rely on in court.” Heero stepped forward. “Anything you do say may be given in evidence. I am arresting you on suspicion of committing a terrorist act, murder, attempted murder and falsifying official records.”

Capricorn laughed helplessly. “You helped us plan it.” He pointed at Duo. “He paid for…” He trailed off, glancing at Riko and Wufei who were halfway into their own space suits. Capricorn looked between Heero and Duo for a long moment, and seemed to deflate. He swallowed. “If you're bothering to arrest me, I assume you’re going to let me put on a suit.”

Heero nodded, his expression grim. “We've put every effort into minimising casualties, but given the setup in this shuttle, not all lives can be saved.” He gestured towards the emergency suit storage where Wufei was pulling out a spare suit and helmet. Heero stared at Capricorn thoughtfully, “You can either come quietly or…” he trailed off, wordlessly indicating the door.

Once she had her suit on, Riko sank to the floor to relieve pressure on her ankle. Riko twisted her hair back into a bun to fit under the helmet, and looked up at Wufei as he crouched down beside her to check her suit. He paused after a few moments. She looked at him in confusion as he stared back at her expectantly. Wufei tilted his head, pulled up her wrist and tapped a couple of commands into the glove. Her comms buzzed on.

“Can you hear me now?” His voice sounded tinny through the helmet’s speakers. “How's your ankle?”

Riko blinked and looked up at him. “It's…” she frowned, reaching down to touch it. “It's fine.”

“Hm. Try to keep it raised until we need to move.”

She nodded.

“He killed her the moment he kicked her away. She was dead the instant the bulkheads dropped,” Wufei continued quietly. “There was nothing that we could have done differently. She was too far away.”

Riko looked down at her ankle. “What about the soldiers in the lower decks?”

“If they paid attention to the alarms, they should have gotten to the life pods by now.” He raised his own wrist to look at the monitor. “Within the next couple of hours, they'll be picked up by the Preventer patrols following us.”

“You planned this?”

“You didn't know?”

She shook her head mutely.

Wufei sounded amused. “Good. I was worried if you could figure out what we were saying, they could.”

Riko wasn't sure how to take that and surprised herself by snorting softly. “Seriously?”

“Don't worry,” he went on, “I'm sure Quatre will be along to pick us up within the next four hours.” He stood up straight and held his hands out to help her. “Trowa’s beacon should have alerted him to come after us by now.”

“Zero Four is alive?” Riko blinked, grabbing his hands. She was so shocked by his announcement, she failed to brace for the effect of the low gravity and stumbled into him. "Uh... sorry, but are you being serious? I thought Zero Three--"

Wufei cocked his head, bemusement on his face. The smile he gave her was uncertain, as if he didn’t know if she was joking or not. "You'd be amazed by what we can survive."


	10. Not just a job

Duo found himself taking a deep breath. He glanced at his wrist monitor. Pausing for a quick sip of the coffee they'd gotten from the canteen vending machine before power cut out, he looked over at Heero who was leaning against the wall next to him… and winced as he swallowed. It was only just palatable; space-coffee in a self-heating bulb.

“Oxygen's getting low.” He purposely kept his voice quiet as he held his drink toward Heero. “Want some?”

“Thanks.” Heero took it and swallowed a healthy gulp of the lukewarm liquid. “We should wake Wufei.”

“He's not asleep,” Duo snorted. “Last time we got stuck in this kind of situation, he did this whole meditation thing to slow down his heart.” He looked at Heero earnestly. “It was pretty damn cool. I always wanted to learn it.”

Heero passed the drink back to Duo and reached up to his helmet. The visor flicked down and the suit's final seals locked on. Duo took another gulp of his coffee, finishing it. Heero's tinny voice came over the helmet's comms. "I could teach you... if you want."

Duo blinked, sealed the coffee and then engaged his own suit's final seals. As the HUD engaged and switched on his visor, Duo patched his own comms through to Heero's suit. "You know those times you offered to retrain me in one way or another?" Duo tilted his head. "Have you been  _ seriously _ offering to train me?"

"... yes?"

Duo raised his eyes to the ceiling, appreciating the higher percentage of oxygen in the suit's air supply. He felt a little less light-headed. "So... maybe we need to talk."

"Yes."

Duo took a moment to stand in front of Heero. The light in Heero's helmet lit up his blue eyes, making them almost glow. Duo shook his head slightly. "We gotta talk about your inability to flirt like a normal person."

Heero blinked once, staring at Duo. It took a moment, but a rare grin surfaced and he suddenly snorted in amusement. "Sure."

Duo reached out and pressed a hand against Heero's chest, nodding once. Then he turned away and tapped Wufei on the shoulder. Wufei engaged his own suit's final seals, standing as he tapped at the wrist monitor to open a comms group between just the three of them. "We're behind schedule." He frowned as he looked down at his monitor. "These suits only have about three hours' air."

"Three hours is plenty." Duo frowned. "Why are you worried?"

Wufei subtly inclined his head towards their prisoner and the journalist. "She's injured. He's panicking."

"You take the girl." Duo pointed at Capricorn. "We'll handle him."

Wufei nodded and moved to crouch by Riko. She was lying on the floor with her injured ankle up on a chair. She was taking slow, deep breaths but her eyes were wide. She stared at him, uncertainty in her eyes. He reached down and activated her suit. After a moment, he patched into her helmet. "Oxygen levels in the room are below recommendations." Wufei reached out and helped her to sit up. "Keep breathing before you try to speak."

Riko nodded and shifted to brace herself against the wall. She raised her hand and consulted the wrist monitor. He watched her perform some mental calculations before she looked at him. "It's getting cold and we're out of oxygen in this room."

"Yes."

"These suits aren't designed for long space survival."

"They are not."

She stared at him for a long moment. "Tell me you've planned for this."

Wufei didn't answer. Riko looked over towards Mr Capricorn. Heero and Duo were getting him up and activating his suit for him, his makeshift handcuffs loosely holding his arms in place in front of his body. He moved stiffly, his eyes wide with fear. He seemed to be saying something, but Riko couldn't hear him; his suit wasn't broadcasting to her. Judging by the lack of reaction from both Heero and Duo, Riko assumed they weren't receiving his communication either.

Wufei reached out, pressing hard against her shoulder. "Be ready."

"For what?"

She didn't get an answer as Mr Capricorn used his arms to take a swing at Heero. Duo staggered as Heero fell into him while Capricorn lunged forward. Capricorn ran towards Riko. She scrambled to crawl backward, her ankle paining her now, and raised an arm to protect her helmet.

Unfazed, Wufei braced himself and lashed out with one hard, fast kick.

Capricorn reeled away, Heero and Duo moving swiftly to pin him to the ground. Wufei lowered his leg and resumed his stable stance before fluidly turning to crouched beside Riko. "I didn't mean that." He held out a hand. "Here, wrap your arms around me. I'll hold you up."

"Thanks." Riko used Wufei to help her stand, wincing as she put weight on her sprained ankle. "I'm definitely going to take a long break from journalism after this." She glanced over to Capricorn. “This is definitely not a fluff piece.”

The bright lights within Capricorn’s helmet shone eerily, making the cracks in the visor glow, his desperate eyes bulging beneath. Suddenly they shifted to focus on Riko and she gasped at the venom in his expression.

"They'll all want me dead, won't they?" Her fingers tightened on Wufei fearfully. “I saw it all.”

"Yes." Wufei shifted a hand to hold her hips tightly, trying to stabilise her. "The Preventers have a well supported witness relocation program. You'll be safe while you testify."

He seemed so utterly unaware of how intimately he was touching her. Riko laughed lightly. "Sure know how to sweet talk a girl." His expression was mildly baffled and Riko shook her head. "Don't suppose you work with witness protection?"

"No. I'm Active Duty mostly, though I do work with the academy." He frowned, hesitating. "You will be well taken care of. I know a number of the witness protection agents, they all take their work incredibly seriously."

"That's reassuring, but I..." Riko paused. "Never mind. Maybe we can talk more over that drink."

"Drink?"

She smiled half-heartedly. "I figure I owe you at least a drink."

Wufei turned his head away, slightly uncomfortable. "I'm only doing my job, you don't need to..." He paused and frowned again. "I am also not prepared to give you an exclusive."

"What? No. I. No!" Riko jerked her head back. "I genuinely... I mean, that's not..." She exhaled sharply and looked away. "I just wanted to thank you." Riko bit her lip and met his quizzical look. "For a job well done."

There was an awkward moment between them, Wufei staring at her. "I get the feeling we're not quite having the same conversation."

"We are not."

He nodded slightly, shifting his hands on her hips again. Riko stared into his dark eyes, wondering if he was conscious of his touch. He seemed to come to a decision.

"I'll make sure I'm a part of your debrief team. Perhaps we can find a mutually beneficial time to... discuss this in more clarifying detail."

"Maybe."

There was a soft, deep thunk that reverberated through the shuttle. It shook the canteen and Riko hissed quietly as she put weight on her ankle. She jumped as there was another thunk. "What is that?"

Wufei’s expression relaxed, a soft smile on his face. "It's over." He turned to where Heero and Duo were pulling Capricorn to his feet. Duo moved away from them to start pawing through the cupboards. He made a vaguely victorious gesture as he found some duct tape. Riko laughed as he proceeded to crudely tape over Capricorn's helmet. "That's not going to hold," she said, hobbling forward slightly.

"No, but it will hold for long enough," Wufei replied as he swept her off her feet.

Gasping, Riko wrapped her arms around his neck. "You don't have to do this."

He didn't reply for a moment, moving his grip to secure her close to him. "I like to do a good job."

"Uh huh."

"Gravity is pretty low." He tilted his head slightly. "And your ankle is clearly worse than we thought."

"Sure." 

He smiled at her as the bulkheads started groaning. "Hold on."

***

As the command cabin's emergency internal bulkhead finally gave way, Trowa crouched behind a chair and raised his weapon - just in case. He glanced out of the view screen; Preventer ships surrounded them all. The advanced shuttle floated outside, disabled and useless. Their own shuttle was running out of power; the emergency lights had shut off half an hour ago and the room was out of oxygen. However, on the off-chance that Heero and Duo's bombs hadn't crippled the cargo bay as planned...

Around him the Maganacs raised their own weapons and braced.

The doors creaked partly open, and lights started to flood into the darkened cabin. The torches quickly dipped and a space suit-gloved hand reached through the small crack in the doors. It performed a series of quick gestures. Trowa lowered his weapon and got to his feet. "Stand down," he said, re-holstering his weapon, before moving tentatively to touch the hand. It returned his grip hard before withdrawing. Seconds later the doors opened further to reveal a small battalion of Preventers with Quatre at the head, and Noin standing next to him. Quatre signed the comm’s frequency and Trowa set up his suit to patch into the link.

He smiled ruefully at Quatre. "Shouldn't you still be in bed?"

"I completed the minimum amount of bed rest required." Quatre raised a hand to wave. "I'm going to be fine. You..." He chuckled. "You remain terrifyingly good with knives."

Trowa reached out to cup his hand around Quatre's helmet and gently brought their heads together. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay," Quatre replied. "We had no way of letting you know we had to go with contingency B."

Rolling his eyes, Trowa stared at Quatre dourly. "Quatre, you're the only person who believed contingency B was the back-up plan."

They laughed together until Noin tapped them on the shoulders. "It doesn’t look like you've got all of the identified targets."

Trowa straightened. "Target 12 escaped; apparently Wufei's acting was very convincing." He gestured down the corridor. "If he made it in time, he'll be in the canteen with Objective Alpha."

"Good work." Noin nodded and pointed out of the view screen. "The damage you inflicted on the other shuttle was almost surgical. It's been a while since I saw such a neat dissection of a space vehicle using..." She leaned forward to peer at the controls. "Pre-war? Pre-war scavenging tech." Laughing at their nonplussed expressions, she raised both her hands. "Seriously?"

Trowa shrugged. "They're still weapons."

"Uh huh." Noin waved her hand dismissively. "Let's get you out of here."

***

Zechs pulled off his helmet tiredly, his old wounds protesting the space work. Glancing over towards the gundam pilots, he observed as they carefully stripped out of their own evac suits. Yuy was distracted by Maxwell, occasionally reaching out to help Maxwell with his suit, even though he likely didn't need the help. Chang was methodical as ever. They all moved in silence. Not entirely unusual, but it wasn't the tense silence that usually accompanied Maxwell and Yuy being in the same room. Zechs narrowed his eyes and set his helmet down. "You did a good job today."

All three former gundam pilots paused in what they were doing and looked at him: Maxwell rolled his eyes, Yuy glared and Chang nodded his head once. Then they all returned to their work. Zechs sighed to himself and left the changing room. He walked down to the medical suite and stepped in to check in on Ms Kawaguchi, where Doctor Po was standing by the journalist's bedside, chatting. She smiled at him briefly before turning her attention back to Ms Kawaguchi. "Let me know if you change your mind about that cookie." She smiled broadly. "Now, you're going to need to excuse me, Agent Wind here needs some attention." She jerked a thumb towards a bed. "Elbow playing up?"

Zechs nodded gratefully. "Yes." He moved to seat himself on the edge of the bed, smiling at Ms Kawaguchi as he did so. She looked small in the bed; pale and nervous. Her eyes darted to the door occasionally, and her hands were wrapped around a hot drink. While Po started examining his elbow, Zechs leaned forward slightly. "Are you comfortable, Ms Kawaguchi? The trip back should just be a matter of hours."

The woman smiled faintly, taking a sip of her drink. She looked back at Zechs. "Is Agent Chang okay?"

"Oh, Agent Chang is made of gundanium." Doctor Po smiled broadly, tapping Zechs on the forehead. "Whereas this poor baby is made of porcelain and shouldn't really doing anything in low gravity environments."

Zechs rolled his eyes. "You get blown up once and suffer continued exposure problems in your brittle joints ever after." He made a face at Ms Kawaguchi. "Don't mind me. Chang will be debriefing our command."

Po paused in her work, a curious look on her face. "Would you... would you like me to get him for you?"

"Oh, uh... no." Ms Kawaguchi fiddled with the drink in her hand for a moment. "Not if he's... busy."

Zechs was surprised by the amount of disappointment in the woman's voice. He glanced at Po, noting the oddly pleased look on her face, and immediately shook his head at her. Zechs reached out with his good hand and touched her arm. He spoke very quietly. "Don't."

Po looked back at him, frowning as she mouthed back, "What?"

"Don't meddle," Zechs replied, raising his eyebrows.

Po sniffed dismissively. "You're no fun."

***

Une looked up from her monitor to stare directly at the viewer. "Stirling execution, gentlemen." She smiled faintly. "I'll let Dorothy know she can start crowing and that Winner Inc can reveal how their CEO miraculously survived the attack. The Preventer Press corp will be delighted to know they can reclaim the top Agents' reputations." She gave them an informal salute. "Check in when you land."

"Yes ma'am," Heero replied and leaned forward to switch off the communications. He peered around the table. Trowa and Wufei were both pale and exhausted. Quatre and Duo looked somewhat better, but Quatre was clearly flagging, not quite as recovered as he claimed. Heero cleared his throat. "We should get some sleep. Trowa, Wufei; can you escort Quatre to the medical bay?"

"I'm not..." Quatre made an abortive protest, before getting up. "Alright." As he stood he pressed a hand against his stomach. "I could probably do with more bed rest."

The other pilots chuckled as the group stood and moved towards the door. Heero pulled a tablet closer to him. "Uh, Duo, I have some forms I need you to complete. You're a civilian undertaking--"

Duo paused by the door, an eyebrow raised. He let the others pass him and slipped into the seat next to Heero, before looking over the forms he had brought up. "Uh, Noin already had me fill in these forms."

"Oh..." Heero frowned slightly. "I..." He raised his eyes to stare at the ceiling for a moment and sighed.

Duo smiled lopsidedly, "Do you want to escort me to my cabin, Agent?"

Raising an eyebrow, Heero stood. "That obvious?"

"Yeah," Duo chuckled, his voice a little fond. "But that's okay. I'm guessing it's been a while since you last flirted."

Heero's expression was dour. "Something like that." 

Duo shifted out of his seat and leaned against the table. “Look, uh… I’m not…” He glanced away, an awkward expression on his face as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “I’m not too thrilled about hurting Relena. Not gonna lie; I would love to jump into bed with you… I just, I’m not going to do that to Relena.”

“Relena has been having a full sexual and romantically-based relationship with Dorothy Catalonia for the past four years.” Heero blinked, his expression blank. “She had my full consent. Once we realised our relationship wasn’t working, we looked for other options to maintain the friendship we both hold dear.” 

“So, what you’re saying is that if you start something with me, Relena’s going to be okay?”

Heero dipped his head. “Something like that.”

Duo pushed himself away from the table and motioned the door. “I’m gonna get some shut-eye.” He raised a hand to tiredly rub his forehead. 

They moved in silence until reaching Duo’s assigned cabin. Duo hesitated in the doorway, turning to Heero. He glanced down the hallway and nodded. As soon as the door closed, they reached for each other. Duo pressed Heero against the cabin door and kissed him deeply. Heero wound his fingers into Duo’s hair. 

Heero lost himself to the kiss, but felt Duo’s responses slow. He pulled away and looked at him closely. Duo looked regretful as he pulled away further. He shook his head. 

“I’m sorry, man.” 

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. 

“It was just the job. You know, I’m not sure anything is real.” Duo scratched the back of his head and turned away. “I’m not okay with… I’m not a side piece. You’ve got your arrangement with Relena, and that’s great and all… but it’s not… it’s not me.” 

Heero frowned slightly. “That’s not how my relationship with Relena works… you wouldn’t be…” He trailed off and looked away. “We’re both tired. And you’re right, the mission has mixed things up...” He inhaled slowly and took a step away from the doorway to open it. He walked out into the corridor and glanced at Duo. “Maybe we can talk later?”

“Sure.” Duo backed away from the door, triggering the autoclose. “Night, Heero.”

Heero waited for a moment, staring at the dull metal of the closed door before straightening. He walked away, holding his head high until he could turn the corner. 

***

Trowa helped Quatre into the bed next to Riko. Wufei had checked in with her briefly before retiring to his own cabin. Quatre groaned as he got comfortable and smiled wanly at Sally as she approached; Sally merely folded her arms. “Do I need to say it?”

“No, doctor,” Quatre replied. “That’s why I’m here.”

Sally shook her head. “Honestly. I’m only glad that I don’t have to fix any of your stitches.” She put a hand over Quatre’s. “I’ll get you some painkillers.”

“Thank you.” He smiled faintly as she walked away. Quatre turned his attention to Trowa. “You must be almost dead on your feet.”

“Something like that.” Trowa nodded tiredly. “Sanctuary were not exactly the trusting type...” He sighed. “It’s frustrating that some of them got away.”

Quatre’s eyes widened and Trowa almost cursed as he looked up at Riko. She was sitting too still. Trowa shook his head, “I’m sorry, that wasn’t…”

“No, I guessed.” Riko pursed her lips together. “Doctor Po told me that they’re flying out special agents to meet me.” She smiled sadly. “Apparently, they want to relocate me almost immediately...” A moment passed as she turned away. “Agent Chang left before I had a chance to really speak to him. Can you pass on a message for me?”

“Uh...” Trowa frowned. “He’s really not going to give you an exclusive.”

Sally clipped him around the back of his head as she handed Quatre the painkillers. “I can take a message.” Sally smiled charmingly, her eyes kind. “What do you wanna say, hon?”

“I just want to remind him I owe him a drink, but he owes me dinner.” Riko glanced at the former gundam pilots. “I know you were doing a job. But he…” She gazed at Sally, an uncertain smile on her face. “He did a really good job.”

Sally walked around and started pulling Riko’s privacy screen into place. “I know, hon. He’s a good guy.”

Trowa stared at the screen for a while before glancing down at Quatre, who was doing the same with a slightly thoughtful expression on his face. 

“I’ll leave you to rest,” Trowa said, quietly. 

“Hmm...” Quatre replied. “Actually… have you got a moment?”

Trowa tilted his head quizzically. “Sure.”

Quatre lowered his voice. “I get where she’s coming from. You shouldn’t just assume she’s trying to talk to Wufei because of her job. Not everyone is just their job.”

Trowa frowned.

Quatre smiled lopsidedly. “I’m quitting Winner Inc. I’m stepping down as the CEO.”

“You’ve… Why?”

“I just…” Quatre shifted so he could lie down. His shoulders sagged as he stared at the ceiling. “I gave up too much.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Trowa stood and walked away from the bed; then paused and glanced back. “Do you mind if I stay a little longer?”


	11. Let's go for that drink

The lift doors dinged and Duo stepped out, checking his watch again. Hilde walked next to him, consulting her tablet as she walked. "You've got about two hours for this appointment, and then I'll swing by and pick you up to meet your new Preventer security liaison."

"I gotta ask again." Duo wiggled a finger into his collar, uncomfortable with the tie. "What's wrong with Bob?"

Hilde laughed. "First thing: his name is still not Bob. He's called Phil." She stopped to look up. "He's worked with us for three years. Guy's been putting off his retirement because you keep asking him for six more months."

"He looks like a Bob." Duo scowled. "He answers the phone when I call him. He always says 'hi, this is Bob.' We have a little laugh about it."

"And second thing, you're on L1 and the local Preventer section chief reached out. Apparently Phil is looking to retire this month because he's got a tidy sum put away and your new liaison requested the post."

"I like Bob."

"You don't like change."

"Bob knows me."

"Bob tolerates you." Hilde rolled her eyes and paused by the breakfast room's entry. "Besides, I've vetted the new guy. He knows you too."

Duo stopped entirely and glared at her. "What? Hills!"

Hilde raised a hand and waved as she walked off. "Enjoy your breakfast!"

"Hills!"

Hilde laughed and continued to walk. Duo was left standing there, shaking his head until he heard a familiar soft chuckle behind him. He turned and took in the sight of Relena Peacecraft, dressed casually for their breakfast appointment - one hand delicately over her mouth to hide her mirth. She smiled warmly at Duo and linked an arm with his. "It's so good to see you, Mr Maxwell." She gestured the hotel's breakfast room. "Please, I've ordered some coffee; I'm so glad you could meet me on such short notice."

"Good morning, Princess. Drop the Mr Maxwell bit, I'm gonna get a load of that later." Duo cast one more look down the hallway after Hilde, but she had vanished into the crowd of the reception area. "I was surprised to get an invitation for breakfast." He followed her in. "You... uh, your diary is pretty booked."

"Yes, Marcy mentioned your company had been seeking an opportunity to discuss future supply options. She was a bit surprised I could fit it into my schedule as well." Relena sat down and pulled a knee up. Her golden hair caught in the sunlight and it reminded Duo of the young girl he used to know. "This is strictly a personal meeting though, between… I hope... old friends?"

Duo slipped into the chair opposite her and reached up to loosen his tie. "All right."

They ordered some breakfast, and it was only after they'd lightly danced around several topics that Duo finally wiped his mouth with his napkin and leaned back. "Alright princess. What's this really about?" He gestured the meal. "We're both here for a conference, but I don't see you schmoozing Winner."

Relena inclined her head knowingly and then reached forward to take a long sip of her coffee. She dabbing her lip delicately. "Very well, I'll cut straight to it." She smiled lopsidedly. "Heero and I may well still be married, but we have a platonic relationship, one based on mutual respect and... yes, love."

Duo nodded slowly, while sipping his own drink.

"It's not exactly the kind of love that sets off fireworks, and it's definitely the wrong kind of love for our marital status." She laughed self-deprecatingly. "The trials and tribulations of marrying when you're barely out of your teens and in the full spotlight of the world press." She set down her coffee cup slowly. "Heero's determined to do right by me. Doesn't want to cause me trouble. Wants to be the perfect husband." She frowned and hugged her knee, resting her chin on it pensively. "He'll willingly lay everything aside for me."

Duo gave her a small bitter smile. "Sounds about right for the perfect soldier."

"Yup." Relena sighed again. "So, I... I may have decided it's time for me to give him something back. I'd appreciate it if you could help me."

"I'm not going..."

"Hear me out." She dropped her knee and the casual princess disappeared in favour of the determined vice foreign minister. Relena sat up straighter. "The media are not going to be kind about this, and you may need to be prepared for some fallout. However, I've been ready for this for the last three years." She tilted her head, golden hair flowing over her shoulder artistically. "I just wanted to make sure that Heero wouldn't be left alone."

"What are you saying?"

"Duo. Dorothy and I have been having our relationship, while Heero has very graciously continued to maintain the facade of our marriage. He's not happy." She stared at him calmly. "After he's set everything aside for me for years, it's time for me to do it for him. Since your mission last year, he's been... less of himself. Doesn’t enjoy the life he has." She shook her head. "It's not okay. He's hurting and I can do something to help him."

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for a secret relationship."

Relena smiled patiently. "I know. Heero told me about it. You've got concerns about hurting me."

"And when the media find out we're in some kind of..."

"Oh no." Relena paused. "Tomorrow morning, it will hit the news that Heero and I are going through a very quick divorce. After the conference, Dorothy and I will be taking some time out of the limelight, and I’ve made a couple of calls to ensure that Heero, too, will have a new job lined up to enable him to take some time to himself." She looked at him directly. "Hopefully, his new assignment as head of personal security to L2's wealthiest businessman..." Relena arched an eyebrow. "... might give him an opportunity to... enjoy an easy assignment and some good company?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Duo blinked in surprise. "What? Wait, what?"

"Phillip was a good friend of... I forget quite how Dorothy knows him, but she mentioned he was thinking of retiring, and I just happened to relay to Heero that a position might be opening up..."

"Oh boy." Duo shook his head. "Does Bob know you're helping him to retire early so you and Heero can have a clean and tidy divorce and that Heero can..."

Relena smiled in a way that reminded him of Dorothy. "Live happily ever after with the love of his life, whom he's been desperately missing and briefly reconnected with last year, only to be blocked by the fact... how'd he put it? A meaningless band of gold stood between him and the one he'd been dreaming of." She laughed, "Let's face it. Heero would loyally pretend to be my goddamn husband to help me avoid a little bad press, when really he wants to be with you. You're not going to budge on the fact we're married because you think it will hurt my feelings? All right. That's fine, I can respect that." She shrugged and spread her hands. "So here's the only thing I can do to make sure that Heero is happy." 

"Huh." Duo sat back. "That's a lot to take in."

"Isn't it?" Relena looked serious for a moment. "I only have one proviso."

"My head's spinning, but sure."

Relena leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands. She smiled charmingly. "If you hurt him, I will kill you."

Duo roared with laughter.

***

Quatre looked up from his desk computer as his secretary walked in. He paused in his work and stood. Trowa walked in, holding a tablet and a bag slung over his shoulder. It appeared to be a hold-all. Quatre frowned. "Have you only just arrived?"

"Yes." Trowa shrugged a shoulder. "Preventer non-emergency transport isn't always first-class," he scoffed, "no matter who you are."

Quatre indicated the seats by his window. "If I'd known, I would have arranged transport. You are doing me a favour, after all."

"Hmm." Trowa dropped the bag behind the chair, and sat down. He pulled up his tablet. "About that. I noticed some irregularities on my way in, but it's nothing Rashid won't be able to fix easily. Beyond that..." Trowa frowned slightly. "I'm not entirely clear why you needed me."

"Well..." Quatre sat on the arm of the chair opposite Trowa. "While it's true my security is pretty good, you were still able to stab me ten times before anyone reacted." He smiled lopsidedly. "Forgive me, but that counts as more than a few irregularities..."

"So, you wanted me here to assess your security, as a result of lapses that you  _ deliberately _ planned yourself?" Trowa tilted his head. "Forgive me, but we could have done that via the regular communications channels." He raised his eyebrows knowingly. "A personal visit really wasn't required."

"I beg to differ." Quatre gestured the office. "As I wind down my responsibilities as CEO, I want to make sure that my sister has the very best in security. Who better than the last person to kill me?"

Trowa snorted, then sobered. "You're really going through with it?" He held up his hand when Quatre opened his mouth. "No, no. I've been keeping up with the news. Just surprised... you've always been so dedicated."

"So have you." Quatre nodded. "And I realised I wanted to do something good, but... at the same time I wanted to push myself." He half shrugged. "General Une mentioned that you'd probably be well placed to mentor me during the transition."

"Transition?" Trowa sat up, curious.

"I'll be joining the diplomatic corp." Quatre smiled. "It's not quite the gun-totin' active division I was hoping to end up in, but I'll be joining the Preventers."

Trowa blinked. "I didn't think you had..." He trailed off, uncertain how to finish the sentence.

"Space in my life?" Quatre inclined his head, getting up and walking over to his desk. "Arla, would you mind bringing in coffee and..." He glanced over to Trowa thoughtfully. "And if you could arrange for a brunch at Ricardo's... in an hour?"

He turned back to Trowa. "If you've only just arrived, I assume you've not had time for some food."

"You assume right." Trowa’s mouth quirked. "But, the last place we ate before we broke up?" He chuckled. "Laying it on a bit thick...?"

"Oh," Quatre shrugged, his expression turning entirely innocent. "Good thing you're here; I need to practice my diplomacy, I suppose." He walked back over. "I was hoping we could find some space in your schedule... and reconnect a little."

***

"During the conference, you'll see I've put in these measures..." Phil droned on. "Mr Maxwell will usually stick to the routes you give him if you give him some flexibility on timing."

Heero scratched his eyebrow because he had the beginnings of a headache, then sighed and looked over the materials Hilde was giving him. As Phil monotonously carried on with his handover presentation, Heero couldn't quite work out why Duo seemed so reluctant to let him go; he was dry and goal-orientated. Still, the man was also very detailed and precise, and Heero could appreciate his thoroughness... even as Hilde rolled her eyes when he recapped the importance of Duo's routine yet again.

At the mention of Duo's seemingly impulsive nature, Heero had to look down and hide a small smile. Even though Phil had been working so long on Duo's staff, he had apparently never noticed the pattern interwoven in his employer’s seemingly random breaks in routine... Duo hadn't really changed from the old days.

When Phil paused to toss back the dregs of his coffee, Hilde mercifully stepped in. "Phil, I'll be back to take you through the last of the handover. Agent Yuy, we're going to be late to meet Mr Maxwell if we don't put a hustle on it."

Heero gave a brief nod before holding a hand out to Phil. "Thanks, your notes are incredibly detailed."

"I tell you, that kid has got a mind like a sieve. Let him call you Bob. He'll never remember your name."

"I'm sure of it," Heero replied dryly.

"You love it, Phil," Hilde laughed. "Come on, Yuy."

She escorted him out to the corridor. 

"Good of you to be so patient."

Heero shrugged. "He's done a very good job for a number of years. I want to be thorough."

"Hmm..." Hilde hummed knowingly. Heero glanced at her, and she shook her head. "Don't mind me, Heero." She waved them forward. "I should expect Duo's getting ready for his conference at 1pm. I've slotted in some time for you now. His meeting with... uh, his morning appointment overran..."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Relena mentioned she was having breakfast with Duo." He looked at her evenly. "Please don't feel like you've got to dance around the topic. I know she's talking to him."

Hilde rolled her eyes. "When Dorothy gave me the lowdown, I wasn't sure." She lightly jabbed her elbow into his side. "But since we're both on the level now..." She stopped to stare him in the eye. "He's a good guy. Deserves better than you, but is hung up on ya." She leaned forward. "Treat him good."

"If he gives me the opportunity, I will." Heero nodded, appreciating her candour. "I took this job so I could be closer to him. I do not intend to fuck it up."

Hilde smiled. "Yeah, I know you, Heero."

They walked on in companionable silence until Hilde stopped outside a hotel suite door. She knocked and waited. Duo answered the door after a moment, his eyebrows rising as he took in Heero. Hilde took a step back. "I'll leave you two to get reacquainted." She glanced down at her tablet. "Duo, you've got about 2 hours."

"Um... yeah, sure." Duo blinked, his eyes fixed on Heero.

Heero gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you accepted my application, sir."

The 'sir' seemed to slap Duo awake. "Can that bullshit, Heero." He stepped back and gestured Heero into the room. "Thanks Hills... and uh..." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't keep doing this to me?"

"Honey, the day I don't meddle in your love life, be sure to declare me dead." Hilde patted his arm and sashayed away. "I now consider us even for the Phoenix launch."

"You cannot still be sore--" He held up his hands when she glared at him. "Nope, you're right, sorry!"

Heero smiled at the interaction behind him and stepped further into the hotel room. It was a luxury suite: a queen-sized bed, a living area and a decadent-looking tub just visible from where he was standing.

Duo sighed heavily as he closed the door. Heero turned in time to see him lean against it, sagging theatrically. "Goddamn woman's going to be the death of me."

"I can come back later."

"No. I mean..." Duo shook his head. "You... are you seriously joining my security staff?"

"I wanted a new challenge..." Heero moved towards the window. Duo's room was well-placed. "And I thought maybe it would make some time for us to... well..." He took a breath. "Talk. It's been a year."

"And you're divorcing Relena?"

Heero shrugged. "She worries about me."

"But the press..."

"She's ready for it, otherwise she wouldn't be making this move." Heero glanced to the side; Duo had come up to lean against the window frame. "And I'd... I'd like to be happy."

Duo blinked and gazed at him. "Even though it's been so long?"

Heero smiled grimly. "Do you mean there's nothing there anymore?"

"I'm definitely not saying that," Duo replied earnestly. "I'm just..." He shifted to face the view. "You ever have everything you ever wanted just... right there?"

"Experienced it last year," Heero answered quietly. "That's why I'm here... if you want me."

Duo looked at him, eyes wide. He gave it a moment's thought before glancing back out of the window. Softly, almost as if he wasn't thinking, Duo smiled. "I never thought we'd get here."

***

"I really appreciate the help with the induction process, Wufei." Sally smiled warmly as they strode down the corridor. "I know you're fresh back, it's been a long time..."

"You know I'll always help you." Wufei pulled a tight smile. "Though, why we have to leave so early...?" He sipped the coffee she'd bought him. "I'm guessing there's something else you want."

"Who, me?" Sally rolled her eyes. "You know I'm always looking out for you."

"Ugh," he groused. In the year since his undercover mission with Sanctuary, Wufei had kept a low profile. He'd taken some time off while the Preventers Press Corp worked their magic and made sure that both his and Trowa's names were cleared of any wrongdoing. It was an elaborate job, but Wufei seemed well despite the stress it had caused.

They turned into Sally's department, where she picked up her tablet from her assistant and lab coat from the hook behind the door.

At his raised eyebrow, Sally gave a little twirl. "Gotta look the part."

"Mad scientist." Wufei shook his head. "The new recruits are going to quit."

"Nah," Sally laughed. "These are the new analysts. Fresh off the accelerated program. You know those bastards are hard." She smiled slowly. "I thought you might be interested in picking out a couple to work directly with Active Duty."

"Uh huh." Wufei stared around in disinterest.

"I've already picked out about four for myself," Sally continued, tapping away at her tablet as she walked. "I'm going to pull them aside first, and you'll get to check out the rest."

Wufei snorted lightly, his tone dry. "You're so gracious, Po."

"I know, right?" Sally laughed lightly. "I've pulled some of the best and brightest."

When they entered the presentation hall, Noin was just wrapping up with the commencement speeches. While Sally dived into the crowd, Wufei took a couple of steps back and positioned himself near the exit. He leaned against the wall and sipped his coffee, letting his eyes rove over the hundreds of new recruits. There were many different types of Preventers in the room: analysts, active duty, diplomats... he quirked a smile at a pair who walked past arguing about forensic countermeasures. These people were so passionate and excited about joining the Preventers. He couldn't remember ever feeling that bright-eyed...

He caught the feeling of being watched and turned his head. Sally was pointing at him, and waved when he made eye-contact. Pushing himself off the wall, he weaved his way through the crowd to join her. She was surrounded by four recruits and, judging by their uniforms, they were the analysts she had handpicked. "And, as I mentioned, don't get too starry-eyed. He hates it." Sally smiled broadly. "Hanigan, Clarin, Amoze..." Sally put her hand on the shoulder of the last recruit. "Kawaguchi... let me introduce you to Agent Chang. Close friend, former Gundam Pilot." She leaned forward to whisper into Riko's ear, "Perpetually single."

Wufei stared at Riko Kawaguchi for a long moment, before remembering his manners and shaking each of their hands. When he shook Kawaguchi's, he lingered. Her dark eyes were bright, lips tugging into a warm smile.

Beside them, Sally gathered up her other agents. "Wufei, make sure to bring her by when you're done catching up."

Wufei blinked and glanced at her. "What...?"

"I'll let her explain," Sally laughed. "Alright kids, let's get a few things straight..."

Wufei looked back at Kawaguchi. "What?"

"You know how you're always worried I'm after an exclusive?" Riko tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Well, you're a hard man to take out for a drink, so I found an alternative route."

He raised an eyebrow. "Preventer fraternization rules are very--"

"Oh, I know." Riko briefly narrowed her eyes, a secret smile on her face. "But that would only come into effect if I stood any chance of working with you in any capacity." Riko took a step back, demurely tapping her ID badge. "I'm assigned to medical; my previous history as a reporter makes me rather excellent at making connections and researching multiple records. Also… my aptitude tests clearly peg me ill-suited to the kind of... horror that Active Duty might encounter."

Wufei blinked. "You're doing this for a drink."

She smirked. "You did a very good job, agent."

"You joined the Preventers to ask me out?"

"Hardly." Riko looked around. "You came in, almost threw your entire life away on the off-chance you could save me..." She opened her hands and made a sweeping motion over the whole room. "You couldn't have done it without the secure knowledge of the people behind you." Riko stared at him, shrugging one shoulder. "If I can help, even in a tiny way... I'd like to."

Wufei was silent for a long moment before glancing over to the podium where Noin had given her speech. Smiling slowly, he looked back at Riko. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

  
  


**The End**

  
  



End file.
